On April 21, 2026, the Walnut Creek City Council held a special meeting at 4:00 pm (closed session) followed by a regular meeting at 6:00 pm. The regular meeting included proclamations, consent calendar items, public communications, a major consideration item on a senior housing ballot initiative, and a public hearing to introduce an Entertainment Zone ordinance. All five councilmembers were present.
Senior Housing Transit Village Initiative (Item 5a): Assistant City Manager Charles Ching presented a request from Friends of Walnut Creek Senior Housing to prepare an Elections Code §9212 report on a proposed initiative for a 2.4‑acre site at North California Blvd. and Ygnacio Valley Road. The initiative would replace approved office uses with senior housing (age 55+), increase the commercial floor‑area‑ratio from 0.3 to 0.6, and rezone the parcel. The council voted 5–0 to direct staff to prepare the report and enter a cost‑reimbursement agreement. The report—due by early June 2026—must address 11 specific items, including: environmental impacts (traffic and view corridors), CEQA exemptions, Measure A height limit impacts, applicability of inclusionary housing requirements, whether the project can be 100 % residential, and economic demand for senior housing.
Entertainment Zone Ordinance (Item 6a): Economic Development Manager Mike Nimon introduced a proposed ordinance to add Chapter 7‑4 to the Municipal Code, permitting Entertainment Zones in the public right‑of‑way under SB 969. The ordinance establishes a framework for a sponsoring nonprofit (here, Walnut Creek Downtown) to apply for a council‑approved management plan and event‑specific permits. No public comments were received. Police Chief Ryan Hibbs stated no major concerns, noting the alignment with existing First Wednesday events. The council voted 5–0 to waive reading and introduce the ordinance, with a sunset clause: the ordinance shall expire on September 30, 2028 unless extended by the council.
I'm Kevin Wilk, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek. And welcome to the regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council. The City Council is conducting this meeting from the City Council Chamber. This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed live or later on the city's website. As some attendees may be participating in their first Walnut Creek City Council meeting, I wanted to welcome everyone and talk briefly about the public comment process. For each agenda item, there will be an opportunity for public comment on the item. Thus, if you desire to speak to an item on the agenda this evening, please hold your comments until the city council considers that item. Additionally, we have a section on the agenda titled Public Communications, which is for public comments for items not on the agenda. Any comments during public communication should not relate to an item that is on the agenda this evening. Consistent with section 9.5 of the City Council Handbook, 30 minutes will be initially allocated for public communications for items not on the agenda. Additional time for public communications for items not on the agenda will be provided at the end of the open session portion of the meeting if necessary. If you desire to provide a public comment, please complete a speaker identification card and line up behind the lectern at the appropriate time. Wait your turn, and then when you approach the lectern, please state your name and city of residence for the record. You will have two minutes to address the city council. Please keep in mind that this is a city business meeting. The City Council has adopted rules of decorum to ensure that meetings are conducted efficiently and effectively, and that all members of the public have a full, fair and equal opportunity to be heard. The City Council handbook outlines decorum expected in the council chamber and can be found on our website. All remarks should be addressed to the City Council. Please do not use threatening, profane, or abusive language which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the council meeting. Again, each speaker will have two minutes to make your remarks. Written comments submitted and received up to two hours before the meeting have been posted to the city's website for public review and are included in the meeting record, but will not be separately read into the record. Good evening. I'm Kevin Wilk, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council. The first item is the Pledge of Allegiance. And I understand there are some Buena Vista Elementary School students here, and I would like you to help lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Everybody, please stand up. And through the Republic for which it stands. Councilmember Darling. Here. Councilmember Devine. Here. Councilmember Silva. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Francois. Here. Mayor Wilk. Hi. I here. I'm already getting ahead of myself. Our next item on the agenda is an oath of office, and I would like to invite up Robert Kersley, who's going to be taking the oath of office for the Iron Horse Corridor Management Committee. And uh Robert, you are you are uh familiar with this, having been a prose commissioner for many years. Would you like to say a few words? Sure. I just want to say it's a pleasure and an honor uh representing the city uh in in uh for this particular committee uh with the county, and I hope to fulfill the best of my abilities uh the responsibilities of the position. Thank you very much. Thank you, and we're certainly glad to have you back as one of our appointed representatives. Okay. I don't care. You want to face the cameras, you want to face this way. Okay.