It took 20 years, but reasonably priced downtown housing is finally coming to Livermore

A 20-12 months campaign to create reasonably priced housing in downtown Livermore gained a unanimous victory Tuesday when the metropolis council approved a progress that experienced divided the city and fueled accusations of racism and elitism.

The 5- vote will permit nonprofit Eden Housing to construct 130 affordable houses on a flat grime 2.5-acre parcel fronting Stockmen Park, in close proximity to the southeast corner of Railroad Avenue and L Avenue. The metropolis-owned large amount has been selected for reasonably priced housing considering that 2007. The developer, Eden Housing, was picked in 2018 and has acquired $14.4 million in bond funding from Alameda County for the project.

In addition the two 4-tale residential buildings the task will include a .7-acre park, a tiny science museum and a black box theater.

The vote followed a prolonged general public hearing Monday night time in which several people expressed pain with how expensive Livermore is getting and problem that the value of housing has place the town out of get to for a generation of public servants and company field workers instrumental in retaining the town likely.

At the Tuesday City Council conference, Council Member Regina Bonanno claimed that the challenge has a ton a lot less effect on traffic and community character than it could have.

“It’s much less dense and significantly less tall and has additional parking than is permitted below state density reward guidelines,” she said, including that downtown shoppers should not mind “walking a pair of extra blocks so any person else can have a put to stay.”