Underused commercial properties in Antioch could soon be rezoned for housing.
Officials in the East Bay city have identified 10 privately owned sites that have high potential for redevelopment into housing, the San Francisco Business Times reported. Nine of them are commercial properties and the last is vacant.
A study by Berkeley-based Bay Area Economics, a consultant hired by the city, found that the sites, which range in size from 2.3 to 4.1 acres, could hold up to 2,046 residential units. The study was funded with the help of a $310,000 grant from a program created under SB2.
“There was a real interest on the part of the City Council to kind of look at these underutilized shopping centers and effectively create flexibility so housing could go there,” said Antioch Planning Manager Anne Hersch. “The ultimate goal is to give that option to create housing on these sites that right now may be underutilized or have high vacancy rates.”
The 10 sites Antioch is considering rezoning for housing are:
Lakeview Center at 4042 Lone Tree Way,
In-Shape Shopping Center at 4099 Lone Tree Way,
Deer Valley Plaza at 4346 Lone Tree Way,
Hillcrest Summit at Shaddick Drive and Harris Drive,
Hillcrest Terrace at 3440 Deer Valley Road,
Buchanan Crossings at 3110 Buchanan Road,
Delta Fair Shopping Center at 2710-3040 Delta Fair Boulevard,
Somersville Towne Center at 2556 Somersville Road,
99 Cents Only/Big Lots at 2521 Somersville Road, and
A vacant lot at Crestive Drive and West 10th Street.
Planning staff reports found that Antioch has a “relatively high” commercial vacancy rate and the existing zoning standards make it difficult to build residential developments in commercially zoned areas.
Rezoning would require an addendum to the environmental impact report for the city’s 2003 General Plan and an amendment to the plan itself. Hersch said the city has already obtained approval from the respective property owners for the rezoning.
“Some owners were really eager to have this flexibility, because candidly, if the changes go into effect, it’s less cost for that developer than to pursue a new development application,” Hersch said.
Hersch wants the Antioch City Council to begin discussing the rezonings next month. In the event of approval, some of the sites could begin their transformations as soon as 2024.
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