{"id":218,"date":"2026-04-24T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/california.shuster.info\/?p=218"},"modified":"2026-04-24T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:00:00","slug":"citizens-against-marketplace-san-ramon-mixed-use-infill-housing-general-plan-zoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/california.shuster.info\/?p=218","title":{"rendered":"Citizens Against Marketplace Apartment\/Condo Development v. City of San Ramon \u2014 Approval of Mixed-Use Infill Housing Project Was Consistent With City General Plan and Zoning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Case<\/dt>\n
Citizens Against Marketplace Apartment\/Condo Development v. City of San Ramon<\/dd>\n
Court<\/dt>\n
1st District Court of Appeal<\/dd>\n
Date Decided<\/dt>\n
2026-04-24<\/dd>\n
Docket No.<\/dt>\n
A170988<\/dd>\n
Status<\/dt>\n
Reported \/ Citable<\/dd>\n
Topics<\/dt>\n
Land use; mixed-use zoning; general plan consistency; CEQA infill exemption; Housing Accountability Act; San Ramon<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

Marketplace Center is an aging shopping center in San Ramon at the intersection of Alcosta Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road. The City of San Ramon’s general plan and zoning ordinance have designated and zoned the property for mixed use (combining residential and non-residential uses) since 2006. The original shopping center, constructed in the 1980s, included a grocery store, pharmacy, banks, restaurants, and the public library.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the property owner proposed to demolish part of the shopping center and replace it with 284 housing units in a five-story building, including 32 affordable units. The proposal generated strong public opposition over scale and density and was withdrawn. In 2022, the owner returned with a more modest proposal: 44 homes (40 single-family detached condominium units and four junior ADUs) plus renovation of the existing Starbucks. The owner opted to pay in-lieu affordable housing fees rather than dedicate units on site.<\/p>\n

Citizens Against Marketplace Apartment\/Condo Development opposed the project. They filed petitions for writ of mandate arguing that the project was inconsistent with the general plan because the owner had not prepared a master plan with an adjacent property owner, that the project violated mixed-use design requirements, and that the City improperly applied the CEQA categorical exemption for infill development. The trial court denied the petitions, and Citizens appealed.<\/p>\n

The Court’s Holding<\/h2>\n

The First District Court of Appeal, Division Five, affirmed in a partially published opinion. In the published portion, the court held that the project was consistent with the City of San Ramon’s general plan and zoning ordinance.<\/p>\n

Citizens argued that the general plan required preparation of a master plan with the adjacent property owner. The court rejected this reading. The general plan provisions cited by Citizens did not impose a binding requirement to prepare a joint master plan as a precondition to development; they expressed aspirations or guidelines that the City had discretion to apply. The City reasonably concluded that the project, as proposed, satisfied the general plan’s mixed-use designation by combining residential units with the renovated Starbucks coffee shop.<\/p>\n

On zoning, the court rejected Citizens’ argument that the project did not satisfy mixed-use requirements. The relevant zoning provisions allowed mixed-use development on the parcel, and the project’s combination of residential units and a commercial coffee shop fit within those provisions. Mixed-use does not require any particular ratio of residential to commercial, and the City’s interpretation of its own zoning ordinance was reasonable.<\/p>\n

In the unpublished portions of the opinion, the court rejected Citizens’ CEQA challenge to the City’s application of the infill development categorical exemption (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, section 15332) and affirmed the trial court’s costs order in favor of the City.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n