Politics & Government

Council to Consider Resolution Deeming Sycamore North Plans "Unfeasible"

The resolution poses possible alternatives for the building's future.

City staff is recommending a resolution deeming current plans for the project "unfeasible." The resolution, which will be considered at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, also says the council should consider alternative options for the half-built building.

Sycamore North was designed to have 40,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor with three stories of residential units above and parking underground.

The building is unfinished and the city lacks funding to complete it. In July, city staff held a town hall to discuss possibilities for the the project, which Municipal Services Director John Stier said is a huge financial "bleed" for Hercules. One of the options presented at the meeting was to sell Sycamore North to a nonprofit that would turn all of the building's planned 96 residential units into affordable housing.

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Residents—mainly those living in near Sycamore North in the Bayside neighborhood—protested the high amount of affordable housing included in the project.

Possibilities that city staff are now considering for Sycamore North include tearing down the building’s residential floors and using the building strictly for retail business,  or reducing the affordable housing mix.

Find out what's happening in Pinole-Herculeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Because of the project’s funding sources and redevelopment project area mandates, the building is required to have at least 73 affordable housing units. City staff and council are looking into possible legal ramifications of eliminating or decreasing Sycamore North’s affordable housing.

Tuesday's City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.


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