Lafayette Approves Full-Size Version of Infamous Apartment Development
- Sarah Klearman
- Sep 26, 2020
- 6 min read
An otherwise unassuming apartment project that became a symbol of California’s housing crisis may finally move forward, nine years after its initial proposal.
The Lafayette City Council has voted to approve the Terraces at Lafayette, an apartment complex planned for 22 acres in the upscale Bay Area suburb. The Terraces saga gained widespread attention early this year when it was recounted in Conor Dougherty’s book Golden Gates. Over the years, the project’s size has wavered between 44 units and 315 units. Some local residents at one point favored the diminutive version, while housing advocates insisted that the project accommodate as many residents as possible – and famously sued the city, unsuccessfully, to force the larger project.
The City Council approval came at a late August meeting that was the last allocated to Lafayette City Council under the provisions of SB 330, which amended the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) to allow local municipalities just five meetings to approve housing developments or otherwise give a reason to deny.
Even so, the controversy is far from over. Opponents – led by the citizens’ group Save Lafayette filed a lawsuit suit against the project in late September – the second suit brought by the group under the California Environmental Quality Act. Richard Drury, the attorney representing Save Lafayette, claims the city must conduct a supplemental environmental impact report of the Terraces before the project can proceed.
“The city is relying on an EIR prepared in 2011. It was for a similar project, but it was different in many respects,” Drury said.
The EIR for the project was originally certified in 2013 – a few months before community comments prompted Lafayette to work with Terraces developer O’Brien Land Company on an alternative project, one “better suited” to the community’s “semi-rural character,” according to city documents. The city subsequently approved a new development to include 44 single-family homes, a community park, a sports complex, a dog park and a parking lot.
