Walnut Creek Planning Commission Meeting - January 8, 2026
Walnut Creek Planning Commission Meeting - January 8, 2026
The Walnut Creek Planning Commission met on January 8, 2026, with six commissioners present (Chair absent) to consider two agenda items: a mixed-use development at 2094 Mount Diablo Boulevard and a conditional use permit for a K-8 private school at 2449 Buena Vista Avenue. Both items included staff presentations, commissioner questions, and public testimony. The first item was approved unanimously; the second item was presented and public testimony began, but the available transcript does not include the commission's deliberation or a decision.
Public Comments & Testimony
- For the first item (Mount Diablo mixed-use development), one speaker who lives two blocks from the site expressed appreciation for the project team's efforts and support for the development, acknowledging construction inconveniences as part of the process.
- For the second item (LGD Academy private school), the applicant, Yester Nassiri, a parent and founder, provided testimony describing the school's mission, curriculum (including the 'Leader in Me' program), and community engagement efforts, including students visiting neighbors door-to-door. No other public comments were recorded.
Discussion Items
- 2094 Mount Diablo Boulevard – Mixed-Use Development: The commission reviewed a proposal to demolish an existing commercial building and construct a seven-story, 74-unit mixed-use building with 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, a daycare center for residents, and 88 parking spaces (80 in a mechanical parking system, 8 surface spaces). The project includes eight very low-income units and utilizes state density bonus law, requesting five waivers and three concessions from city development standards (e.g., single building material, reduced sidewalk width, waiver of public art fee). Staff noted that the project meets objective standards and cannot be denied without specific health or safety findings under the Housing Accountability Act. Commissioners questioned fire access, parking safety, daycare hours, and the precedent for fee waivers. The applicant clarified that the fire marshal approved alternative means and methods, including a dead-end access up to 200 feet and aerial apparatus access from Mount Diablo Boulevard. The project also includes a drip line encroachment permit and conditional use permit for the daycare. The design review commission had previously reviewed and recommended the project.
- 2449 Buena Vista Avenue – LGD Academy Private School: The commission considered a conditional use permit to establish a K-8 private school (LGD Academy) within an existing Islamic Center. The school previously operated without permits and was directed to cease operations. The proposed maximum enrollment is 90 students (previously 46), with staffing of 4 administrative, 2 credentialed teachers, and 10 part-time staff. Hours are Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM–3:45 PM and Friday half-days until 11:30 AM, with staggered drop-off and pickup. The applicant invoked AB 2097 to eliminate minimum parking requirements, submitting an approved Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan with spillover monitoring and a shared parking agreement with a nearby property. Parking lot improvements include restriping for a designated drop-off zone. Conditions of approval prohibit outdoor school activities in the parking lot to minimize noise. Staff recommended approval, finding the project exempt from CEQA under Class 1 (existing facilities). Commissioners asked no questions of staff, and public testimony began with the applicant's statement.
Key Outcomes
- First Item (2094 Mount Diablo Boulevard): The commission unanimously approved the motion (6-0) to adopt the revised draft resolution approving the subdivision, final design review, density bonus, tree drip line encroachment permit, and conditional use permit for the mixed-use development. The motion confirmed the revised version as presented.
- Second Item (2449 Buena Vista Avenue): The recorded transcript concludes during the applicant's public testimony; therefore, no deliberation or vote by the commission on this item is available in the provided source material.
Meeting Transcript
Alright, welcome. Good evening and welcome to the December 11th Planning Commission meeting. Will the secretary please call the roll? Thank you. Commissioner Moran? Here. Commissioner Cound. Here. Commissioner Strongman. Here. Commissioner Quok. Here. Commissioner Klopp. Here. Vice Chair Knighting. Here. Chair Anderson has phoned in. He will not be here tonight. So we have six. We have a quorum. Perfect. Do we have anything on the consent calendar today? We do not staff recommends no changes. Okay, beautiful. Now, before we begin, there are two opportunities for the public to provide comment. The first is during the item of each agenda as it pertains on the agenda. And the second one is would be right now, and it's for comment that is within the purview of the Planning Commission, but not something that is on the agenda. So does anyone want to provide any public comment for items that are not on the agenda tonight? Seeing none. Then I would like to then start with the public hearing and open the public hearing. Does oh, pardon me. Has anyone had any experte communication? Seeing none, lots of shaking heads. Well, I I just will say I drove all this, I drove all the sites. So perfect. Do staff have a presentation? Thank you. Good evening, Commissioners. Simmer Gill, senior planner with the city. Uh we are here tonight to consider the Mount Diablo mixed use uh development that will be located at 2094 Mount Diablo Boulevard. Uh the applicant representing this project, uh Ben Johansson and his team are here tonight, as am I. And with the city, we have Ryan Cook, who is the senior civil engineer also available for any questions after the presentation. And just to quickly orient you with the site, uh it is zone mixed use commercial, and there is an existing commercial building on the parcel. Uh it's a roughly 20 24,000 square foot lot, and it is located within the West Downtown specific plan and also listed as a housing site or where we envision housing um future housing. Uh so it's listed in this inventory uh sites table. And here are just some photographs really showing you uh what's currently on site. It is that existing single-story building with multiple tenants, and uh the project request before you tonight is uh to demolish that existing commercial building to build a seven-story 74 unit mixed use development, uh, which also uh consists of approximately 3,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space as well as a daycare center, and uh it the project does consist of a mix of studios, 35 one bedroom units, and 35 two-bedroom units. Sizes range from 591 square feet to uh roughly 1,500 square feet uh and uh there is new ground floor as well as rooftop landscaping. There is 80 parking stalls that will be located within the mechanical parking system as well as eight surface uh parking spaces for the commercial component. Uh a drip line encroachment permit is also requested as part of this project and uh because the project is providing eight very low income units, uh, it is um utilizing state density bonus law as also being processed under the housing accountability act, which I'll go into more detail or further in my presentation.
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