True Life Companies Approved for Office Conversion

Pleasanton could gain a new condominium townhome community on the site of a vacant office building.

Denver-based The True Life Companies is moving forward with plans to build a 66-unit residential project on a 2.6-acre site at 4400 Black Avenue, the San Francisco Business Times reported. The Pleasanton Planning Commission voted to approve the project on Wednesday.

The developer first proposed the development in 2023. It submitted a preliminary application at the time under Senate Bill 330, which freezes development and zoning standards at the time of application submission. As part of the recently passed Assembly Bill 130, the project secured a CEQA exemption that will allow it to progress more quickly.

True Life’s plan calls for demolishing a 22,000-square-foot office building to make way for 59 three-story condominium townhome units and seven accessory dwelling units. Of the new homes, nine will be deed-restricted affordable homes for lower-income tenants.

The site is within a housing opportunity zone in the city’s housing element. Pleasanton is mandated by the state to plan to build 5,965 new housing units by 2031.

The Black Avenue property is currently owned by the neighboring Quarry Lane School, a private school which has its Pleasanton West Campus location next door. Quarry Lane bought the site in 2020 from developer Overton Moore Properties for $5.3 million; documents filed with the city in 2023 said the private school was interested in converting the property for residential use, according to the Business Times, though True Life said at the time wasn’t working with the school on the project. The 4400 Black Avenue commercial building was built in the early 1970s and was once leased by AT&T, though it’s since moved out after the expiration of its lease.

Pleasanton was found to be one of the cleanest cities in the country and earlier this year was ranked the number-two best city in the country for quality of life; coincidentally, nearby San Ramon was voted number one.

Elsewhere in the East Bay, last month, True Life filed an application to redevelop another commercial property. That proposal calls for building 300 residential units on the site of the Harbor Bay Landing shopping center.

— Chris Malone Méndez