Del Hombre Apartments Project EIR

FCS is preparing a project-level Environmental Impact Report (EIR) with technical studies for the construction of a 284-unit apartment building on a 2.4-acre site located within Contra Costa County (in the City of Walnut Creek’s sphere of influence) next to the Pleasant Hill Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)/Contra Costa Centre Transit Village. Ultimately, the project will address the regional housing and employment imbalance by providing 284 housing units to an underserved area and provide much needed affordable housing through the delivery of 36 affordable units. The project also encourages infill redevelopment of underused sites in areas served by adequate infrastructure and services near mass transit, freeways, and urban centers to encourage multiple-family housing located in proximity to transit corridors. The key areas for considerations include aesthetics, biological resources, cultural resources, air quality/GHG emissions, land use and planning, hydrology and water quality, and transportation.

FCS provided peer review of technical studies prepared by the project applicant’s consultants to ensure consistency, completeness, and adequacy for the purposes of CEQA. FCS provided visual simulations of the project from key public vantage points for the purposes of assessing potential aesthetic impacts using  state-of-the-art 3D modeling, GIS, and photo-editing software. Key views include the elevated platforms of the nearby BART station, which have unobstructed views of the site and far-away Mt. Diablo and the adjacent Iron Horse Trail – a regional trail that spans 40 miles – making this a highly visible site with tremendous foot traffic throughout each day. As part of the Project EIR, the visual simulations of the 6-story development were instrumental in showing decision makers and interested public how it would appear in a photorealistic fashion, including architectural style, fenestration ,landscaping, and height and massing. 

FCS then prepared a Draft EIR that analyzed potentially significant impacts as well as feasible mitigation measures. We also provided guidance to the County on how to address the significant unavoidable impact associated with the project.