Race for Walnut Creek City Council Enters Final Stretch
Oct 21, 2024 06:14PM ● By Harper Klein
With the November 5 election fast approaching, the candidates for Walnut Creek City Council are in the home stretch of campaign season. Besides reaching potential voters on neighborhood walks and community events, business organizations, like the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce, hosted public policy discussions to bring clarity to their positions.
At a recent candidate forum hosted by the Chamber, all five candidates, three newcomers and two incumbents, offered their views on the city’s future. While their priorities vary slightly, all agreed on one thing: Walnut Creek needs to build more affordable housing, particularly for the middle class—healthcare professionals, teachers, and firefighters, among others.
Building with Balance
Growing up in Orinda, Walnut Creek has always been a go-to entertainment hub. But among my friends, I’m one of the few lucky ones who can afford to live here,” said Laura Patch, a transportation commissioner and self-described environmentalist running for her first term on the council.
Patch is one of the candidates advocating for housing solutions that include green spaces to mitigate the city’s rising temperatures. “If we’re going to build dense housing, we need to include trees, which can reduce temperatures by 7-9%. I’m also a big fan of converting infill spaces, like parking lots, into housing, and creating a more walkable downtown.” she added.
Brendan Moran, a real estate broker and chair of the city’s PROS Commission, also a first-time candidate, echoed the urgency of creating affordable housing. “It’s a long road ahead of us, but we need to make sure the people who work here can also afford to live here,” he said. Moran emphasized that Walnut Creek is under a state mandate—via the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)—to plan for 5,800 housing units over the next eight years, with over half designated for middle-and low-income residents.
The Roots of the Crisis
Walnut Creek’s housing challenges are part of a broader crisis facing California. Since 2007, the state was not permitting enough housing construction, failing to meet projected demand. The problem intensified by 2015 as the population continued to grow but the number of available homes did not. The result was skyrocketing home prices and rents.
Other factors compounded the issue, including rising land, material, and labor costs, neighborhood opposition to development, complex regulatory requirements, and steep developer fees. While cities like Walnut Creek have been subject to housing mandates since 1969, the latest round of RHNA requirements for 2021-2029 saw a significant increase, driven by California’s chronic housing shortage.
Location, Location, Location
Incumbent City Council Member Kevin Wilk, who is seeking a third term, sees Walnut Creek’s central position in the county as a key asset in addressing the housing issue. “We need to take advantage of our two BART stations,” Wilk said. “If we’re going to build housing outside of the downtown, we need to work on infrastructure for transportation that covers the first mile and the last mile. We don’t want people driving to BART.”
Wilk also suggested revisiting the city’s height restrictions, which have capped building heights on North Main Street at 40 feet since 1985. “We have to change some aspects of Measure A, in certain parts of town, so buildings can go up four or five stories and house more people,” he said.
Streamlining the Process
Craig DeVinney, an ER doctor and real estate developer making his first run for the council, took a more business-oriented approach. He says that if elected, he would work on ways to make the building process in Walnut Creek easier for developers.
“We are not seen as the most business-friendly community,” DeVinney said. “It can take up to two years to get all the permits and approvals for a business to open here.”
Given the high costs of developing affordable housing, DeVinney suggested focusing on the moderate-income housing market, where developers might have more flexibility to build.
Transportation and Sustainability
Incumbent council member Cindy Darling, running for her second term, emphasized the connection between housing, transportation, and the environment. “We need to get people out of their cars,” Darling said. “We need to look at our development patterns to make sure we aren’t worsening traffic. Staggering commute times could be one approach.”
“Darling pointed to the upcoming update of the city’s General Plan as a key opportunity. “We have a great chance to integrate our housing element with our sustainability action plan,” she said.