The Pittsburg City Council on Monday will hear an appeal of the planning commission’s denial of an application from Discovery Builders to construct a basketball facility inside John Henry Johnson Park.
City Manager Garrett Evans is listed on the meeting’s staff report as the appellant.
On January 25, 2022, the planning commission denied the application, saying it wasn’t consistent with parts of the city’s general plan. They also had concerns about traffic and existing park facilities at the site, located at 790 W. Leland Road.
The council approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Discovery, in which the developer agreed to design and build the 45,000 square foot facility on city-owned land, at a cost not to exceed $3 million. On February 1, 2021, the MOU was amended to increase the cost to $3.2 million, paid by Discovery.
The facility would be known as Discovery Builders Dream Courts.
The city agreed to waive all impact fees, plan review fees, building permit fees, and similar fees related to the construction of the recreational facility, and construct the necessary infrastructure.
The MOU would allow Discovery to retain ownership of the facility for the first ten years after construction, at which time the builder will be required to sell it to the city for one dollar. The city will retain full operational control of the building during this time, and Discovery may not assign or sell the structure without the city’s consent.
According to the staff report, the purpose of this language is to allow Discovery to write down the depreciation of the structure during this time.
Staff is recommending the council uphold the appeal. The Pittsburg City Council will meet at 5 p.m. May 16, at City Hall Council Chamber, located at 65 Civic Ave. in Pittsburg. The meeting can also be seen at www.pittsburgca.gov.
3 comments
Discovery Builders aka Seeno?? Once again, the City Council will be bought.
My guess as to why this project will not be approved is that the appropriate coinage has not yet crossed the appropriate palms.
Why not incorporate it into the Concord Naval Weapons Reuse Plan?
Along with the Indoor soccor stadium that was being proposed a while back.
That way, no “retrofitting” or disruption has to happen in existing neighborhoods..
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