Welcome!
The General Plan, Housing Element, and CAP Update is a pivotal opportunity to shape the future of San Ramon. Through this process, the City and its consultants (Consultant Team), with input from the public and stakeholders, will consider new, pertinent topics, such as climate change and resiliency, housing environmental justice, and public health, to ensure that San Ramon is positioned to achieve its vision for the future.
As the Update progresses, this website will be your primary source for information. Please check back regularly for drafts of project documents and opportunities to engage in the Update process – including dates and times of events and meetings.
Objective Design and Development Standards for Multi-Family and Residential Mixed-Use Developments
In 2023, the City approved its updated General Plan (GP 2040) and Housing Element, which included a mandate to create objective design standards for housing projects, ensuring compatibility with neighborhood character. To meet state requirements for predictable and transparent housing approvals, the City developed objective design standards through a series of study sessions with the Planning Commission and feedback from the Architectural Review Board. These standards address aspects such as building design, mass, and scale, allowing for more objective, enforceable guidelines in compliance with State legislation like SB 35 and SB 330.
These new design standards apply citywide to qualifying multi-family residential and mixed-use developments, providing standards for elements like circulation, parking, and architectural form. This approach offers clear guidelines that align with the City’s zoning and subdivision ordinances, streamlining the design review process and ensuring project compliance without discretionary judgment. Projects not meeting the design criteria would undergo an Architectural Review process. Environmental review under CEQA confirmed the design standards would not impact the environment as they do not authorize construction directly but establish design parameters. On November 12, 2024, the City Council approved Resolution 2024-105, adopting the design standards to be used as a baseline for consistent design across new multi-family and mixed-use projects citywide.
