Letter: Bad Deal Project- Dublin considers adding 566 MORE homes

(submitted by: "Longtime Dublin Resident")

As a premier Dublin gateway location, the DiManto parcel represents an incredible opportunity to have a transformational and enduring impact on Dublin. Unfortunately, the At Dublin project lacks the "wow" and does not deliver a project that we can all be proud of. We can do better, and the fact that this proposal is so dramatically different than the Eastern Dublin plan is evidence of this. This is also far short of what council expected when they approved the study. I remember former council member Abe Gupta speaking of high end wine shops and dining not fast-food drive throughs and a gas station.

In evaluating this project it is important to do so with valid facts as opposed to a false narrative. One specific issue I wanted to address is the impact on schools as follows:

1. For years the City Council has said schools can't be a reason to approve a project or not, so it is surprising to see so much emphasis on this.
2. The $14.5 million in school impact fees will not help build a new high school. Dublin residents have already fully funded the new school with Measure H and J, so funding from this project has nothing to do with a new school.
3. The $80,000 in fees for each of the estimated 177 students does not fully mitigate the impact to schools for two basic reasons. One as evidenced by the cost of Cottonwood Creek school, the cost is approximately $130,000 per student as shown below and therefore $80,000 is only 62%. Second, even if DUSD was able to build additional space for students generated with the $80,000 there is no space in east Dublin schools so this project will cause boundary changes that are impossible to mitigate for the students and families who are impacted.
4. So would the former school board president from two years ago say it is fully mitigated? She seems to be confused with a statutory calculation that everyone knows was designed to benefit developers and does not represent anywhere near actual costs. DUSD has repeated said this about the calculation and this is obvious to anyone who understands math. It is also interesting to note that the current Board President and newer Trustees have not spoken on this issue. It would be more appropriate to solicit the current Board Presidents input vs someone who hasn't served as President in 2 years.

The answer to doing better is following the general plan which will better provide appealing architecture, amenities that add to the community, diversity to our tax base, more affordable housing, and long-term local jobs. We need robust economic development that supports a high quality of life for all, but the At Dublin is far short of delivering a transformation and enduring legacy.

Accordingly, I request you to reject the proposal.

I would also encourage the council to call for a review of the vision and strategy of the city for this site so that ultimately Dublin can get the gateway project we deserve. In the past few months Dublin has had one of the hottest technology companies (that will likely IPO in next year for a $25+ billion valuation) lease offices in Dublin for its senior executive team and Amazon purchase a building. Dublin has tremendous opportunity and should focus on these opportunities vs settling for a subpar opportunity.

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Below are facts regarding student generation costs to Dublin- which prove the $80,000 per student offered by AtDublin project are a bad deal:

Cottonwood Creek School (DUSD):

• Value of Land $30,000,000 as defined by City of Dublin in press releases
• Construction Costs $78,000,000
• Final planned phase including gym $12,000,000
• Total $120,000,000
• Capacity of 950
• Cost per student $126,316
• Inflation Adjusted and Rounded $130,000

This is also new middle school at Boulevard where land was valued at $36M and construction costs $92M for 950 students of $135,000 per student.

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