Just over a month after the Livermore City Council approved a long-gestating affordable housing project, a lawsuit filed by opponents could halt any subsequent progress of the proposed downtown apartments.
Save Livermore Downtown filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court on June 24, alleging in a filing that developer Eden Housing and the city violated state law by "failing to consider recent concerns" the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board raised about "soil and groundwater contamination" at the project's downtown location.
The suit alleged that the city council "inappropriately determined" the Eden Housing project was exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires informing the public and project decision-makers of potential environmental risks.
"We're disappointed by the lawsuit, but we believe that the City of Livermore has done everything properly," Daniela Ogden, Eden Housing Vice President of Communications, Fundraising and Advocacy told KCBS Radio on Monday night.
Ogden called the lawsuit "just another delaying tactic" from Save Livermore Downtown aimed to halt progress on the project.
In a unanimous vote on May 25, all five members of the Livermore City Council approved Eden Housing’s plan to build 130 affordable apartments on a 2.5-acre parcel downtown. One, two and three-bedroom apartments would be available for community residents and families who earn as little as 20% or as much as 60% of Alameda County’s median income.
The goal, the developers said on their website, is to “house local healthcare workers, public safety personnel, school staff, hospitality employees” and workers in downtown small businesses and restaurants.
Livermore officials first designated the lot for affordable housing in 2007, selecting Eden Housing as the developer in 2018. The nonprofit also received $14.4 million in bond funding from Alameda County’s Measure A1, requiring them to build in the location designated by the city.
The median sale price of a home in Livermore last month was $1.05 million, according to Redfin, up from $688,500 in June 2016 and $813,000 last June. The typical home, according to Zillow, is worth just over $972,000, an increase of 21.1% over last year.
