St. Joseph Site, Fremont

Entitlement and Sale of Surplus Property

  • WGV
    was
    engaged
    by
    the
    Oakland
    Diocese
    to
    advise
    them
    on
    the
    sale
    of
    a
    surplus
    property
    to
    raise
    funds
    for
    the
    building
    of
    a
    new
    church.
    While
    the
    property
    was
    in
    an
    attractive
    and
    desirable
    neighborhood,
    the
    site
    faced
    a
    number
    of
    hurdles
    to
    its
    possible
    development,
    drastically
    minimizing
    its
    value
    to
    residential
    builders.
    The
    site
    was
    adjacent
    to
    a
    cemetery
    that
    was
    listed
    as
    an
    historic
    resource
    and
    it
    also
    had
    an
    Open
    Space
    designation,
    which
    prohibited
    residential
    development.
    In
    addition
    the
    property’s
    conversion
    to
    homes
    was
    likely
    to
    face
    criticism
    from
    the
    surrounding
    neighborhood.

  • To
    maximize
    builder
    interest,
    WGV
    worked
    collaboratively
    with
    the
    city
    and
    neighbors
    to
    change
    the
    property’s
    Open
    Space
    designation
    to
    allow
    for
    residential
    development.
    This
    involved
    not
    only
    significant
    outreach
    to
    the
    surrounding
    residents
    to
    ensure
    neighborhood
    compatibility,
    but
    also
    addressing
    concerns
    from
    the
    city’s
    Historic
    Architectural
    Review
    Board,
    which
    sought
    a
    number
    of
    changes
    to
    the
    program
    to
    protect
    and
    preserve
    historic
    features
    of
    the
    nearby
    cemetery,
    which
    is
    listed
    on
    the
    California
    Register
    of
    Historical
    Resources.
    WGV
    also
    collaborated
    with
    representatives
    from
    the
    local
    Native
    American
    tribe
    that
    once
    resided
    in
    the
    area
    to
    ensure
    that
    no
    archaeological
    artifacts
    were
    disturbed.
    Ultimately,
    WGV
    secured
    a
    General
    Plan
    change
    to
    residential
    use,
    and
    a
    Vesting
    Tentative
    Map
    for
    the
    site,
    allowing
    for
    a
    builder
    to
    purchase
    the
    property
    and
    design
    its
    own
    architectural
    program.
    This
    solution
    minimized
    costs
    for
    the
    owner
    while
    maximizing
    the
    land’s
    value.
    After
    securing
    the
    project’s
    approval,
    WGV
    brokered
    the
    sale
    of
    the
    property
    on
    behalf
    of
    the
    Diocese
    to
    a
    builder,
    who
    completed
    the
    project
    in
    2016.

St Joseph 1.jpg
St Joseph 2.jpg
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