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Project Title: |
The Lakes at Discovery Bay Development Plan |
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County File: |
CDDP25-03020 |
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Applicant/Owner: |
Roxanne DuCheney, DuCheney Construction (Applicant) / The Lakes at Discovery Bay HOA (Owner) |
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Zoning/General Plan: |
P-1 Planned-Unit District, -UE Urban Farm Animal Exclusion Combining District / RLM Residential Low Medium Density, RM Residential Medium Density, PR Parks and Recreation |
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Site Address/Location: |
The start of Fallman Boulevard off Bixler Road in the Discovery Bay area of unincorporated Contra Costa County (Assessor’s Parcel Number: 011-241-012) |
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California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Status: |
Categorical Exemption, CEQA Guidelines Section 15302(b) |
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Project Planner: |
Allison Seoane, Project Planner (925) 655-2871 |
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Allison.Seoane@dcd.cccounty.us |
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Staff Recommendation: |
Approve (See Section II for Full Recommendation) |
I. PROJECT SUMMARY
The applicant requests approval of a Development Plan to modify Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025 to construct a replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy structure at The Lakes at Discovery Bay, Single Family Home Community.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Department of Conservation and Development, Community Development Division (CDD) staff recommends that the County Zoning Administrator:
A. FIND that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15302(b) of the CEQA Guidelines.
B. APPROVE Development Plan CDDP25-03020 to modify Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025 to construct a replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy structure at The Lakes at Discovery Bay, Single Family Home Community.
C. DIRECT staff to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. General Plan: RLM Residential Low Medium Density, RM Residential Medium Density, PR Parks and Recreation.
B. Zoning: P-1 Planned-Unit District, -UE Urban Farm Animal Exclusion Combining District.
C. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance: Categorical Exemption - CEQA Guidelines, Section 15302, Replacement or Reconstruction, Class 2 exemption for replacement of an existing commercial structure where the new structure will be located on the same site and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity of the structure replaced, including the construction of a new guardhouse and drive isle canopy in the same location as the previous guardhouse that was damaged in a car accident.
D. Previous Applications:
1. GPA #4-93-EC: A General Plan Amendment to designate land in the Discovery Bay West area from Agricultural Lands to Single Family Residential-Medium Density, Single Family Residential-High Density, Parks and Recreation, Public/Semi Public, and Delta Recreation was approved by the Board of Supervisors on December 20, 1994.
2. CDSD91-07686: A Major Subdivision of the P-1 area was approved by the Board of Supervisors on August 7, 1995, for Village I of the subdivision. This included the approval of the Preliminary Development Plan for the Discovery Bay area. A revised permit was issued to revise Condition of Approval #42 on May 3, 2001.
3. CDDP91-03025: A Final Development Plan for the SD91-7686 Subdivision was originally approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 25, 1995, and an amendment to relocate the intersection of Newport Drive and Bixler Road farther to the north was approved by the East County Regional Planning Commission on December 5, 1997.
4. CDRZ91-02963: A Rezone of Villages II, III, and IV of Subdivision SD91-7686 from A-2 General Agriculture District to P-1 Planned Unit District was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 9, 1996. A Rezone of Village I of Subdivision SD91-7686 from A-2 General Agriculture District to P-1 Planned Unit District was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 25, 1996, under this same file.
5. CDSD96-08023: A Major Subdivision for Phases II, III, and IV of the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the East County Regional Planning Commission on August 5, 1996.
6. CDDP02-03064: A modification to the Final Development Plan to change the timing of required improvements for phases II, III, and IV of the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Zoning Administrator on December 9, 2002.
7. CDDP03-03003: A modification to the Final Development Plan to change the dimensions of a bridge between Villages II and III of the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Zoning Administrator on March 24, 2003.
8. CDDP03-03018: A Development Plan application to modify Final Development Plan was withdrawn on July 27, 2005.
9. CDGP03-00007: A General Plan Amendment to reflect a redesigned Village V under Major Subdivision #CDSD04-08828 was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 26, 2005, alongside County Files #CDRZ04-03142 and #CDDP04-03019.
10. CDRZ04-03142: A Rezoning from a Planned-Unit District (P-1) to a Revised Planned-Unit District for the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 26, 2005, alongside County Files #CDGP03-00007 and #CDDP04-03019.
11. CDSD04-08828: A Major Subdivision for Phase V of the Discovery Bay West project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 26, 2005. This included the approval of a modification to the Final Development Plan under County File #CDDP04-03019.
12. CDDP04-03019: An amendment to and modification of the Final Development Plan to reconfigure lot and street layouts was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 26, 2005 with the approval of Major Subdivision #CDSD04-08828.
13. CDSD05-08992: A Major Subdivision for the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 19, 2006.
14. CDSD06-08993: A Major Subdivision for the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on December 19, 2006.
15. CDSD06-09067: A Major Subdivision for the Discovery Bay West Project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 8, 2008.
IV. SITE/AREA DESCRIPTION
The subject property is a 4-acre parcel off of Bixler Road and serves as the main entrance to The Lakes at Discovery Bay Single Family Home Community. The property mostly consists of Fallman Boulevard, which continues onto the adjacent parcel to the right. The parcel is in a residential area located inside of the urban limit line, bounded by Bixler Road to the west and surrounded by single-family residences to the north and south, as shown in the aerial imagery in Attachment B. The proposed replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy would be located in the center of the parcel, in line with the grassy, concrete median strips on either side, at the same location where the previous guardhouse was located.
V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The applicant requests approval of a Development Plan to modify Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025 to construct an approximately 360 square-foot replacement guardhouse and approximately 1,652 square-foot replacement drive isle canopy structure located on Fallman Boulevard, to serve as a secured entrance into The Lakes at Discovery Bay, Single Family Home Community.
VI. AGENCY COMMENTS
An Agency Comment Request packet was sent on August 6, 2025 to a number of public agencies, including Building Inspection Division, Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) Staff, Environmental Health Division of the Health Services Department, Public Works Engineering Services and Traffic Division, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District, and Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District. Agency comments received by staff are included in Attachment E. Following are summaries of the comments received.
A. Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District (CSD): On September 23, 2025, the CSD submitted an email stating that it had no comments on the project.
B. Contra Costa County Public Works Department: On August 8, 2025, the Public Works Department submitted an Agency Comment Request form stating that it had no comments on the project.
C. Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) Staff: On August 11, 2025, HCP/NCCP Staff submitted an email stating that the project is not subject to the County’s HCP/NCCP Ordinance, and as such, there are no HCP/NCCP conditions required.
D. Contra Costa Environmental Health Division (CCEHD): On August 15, 2025, the CCEHD submitted a letter containing standard requirements for projects that involve wells or septic tanks, neither of which this project requires.
E. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District: On September 8, 2025, the Fire Protection District submitted a letter stating that District approval is required prior to construction.
VII. REQUEST FOR HEARING
A Notice of Intent to Render an Administrative Decision was mailed on October 3, 2025, that included an October 13, 2025, deadline to request a public hearing. Three requests for public hearing were received during the comment period. Two requests for public hearing were withdrawn after clarifying information was provided that addressed the concerns of their respective requests for hearing. Please note, one neighbor who withdrew her request for public hearing provided further comments for consideration of the Zoning Administrator on December 15, 2025.
On October 7, 2025, a request for public hearing was received from Anita Thorn of 8051 Westport Circle, owner of a parcel in the upper Northwest quadrant of The Lakes at Discovery Bay Community. Following the review of supplementary documents provided by the HOA, included in Attachment H, Anita withdrew her request for public hearing on October 28, 2025. The withdrawal for request of a Public Hearing is included in Attachment F.
On October 9, 2025, a request for public hearing was received from Ronald Cole of 9884 Key West Way, owner of a parcel on the Northeast end of The Lakes at Discovery Bay Community. Following his review of a presentation prepared by the HOA at a meeting open to residents of The Lakes, included in Attachment H, Ronald withdrew his request for public hearing on October 22, 2025. The withdrawal for request of a Public Hearing is included in Attachment F.
On October 6, 2025, a request for public hearing was received from Angela Mahoney of 9007 Tradewinds Circle, owner of a parcel south of Fallman Boulevard on the east side of The Lakes at Discovery Bay Community. The hearing request is included in Attachment F. The following is a summary of the request for hearing comments along with staff responses:
Request for Hearing Comment 1: This neighbor expressed concerns that the proposed bollards are not sufficient to prevent a vehicle that is traveling at a very high rate of speed from striking the building.
Staff Response: The plans show a total of fourteen bollards placed around the guardhouse. Seven of these bollards are Tomahawk M50 bollards, which, per the HOA presentation included in Attachment H, are rated M50-P1, and are designed to stop 15,000-pound vehicles traveling at 50 miles-per-hour, or 3,500 pound vehicles - the average weight of a compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) - traveling at over 90 miles-per-hour. Specifically, five of these Tomahawk M50 bollards are proposed to go in front of the building on the side facing Balfour Road, where the building was previously struck by a vehicle. The other seven bollards are Hercules M30 bollards, which are rated M30-P1, and are designed to stop 15,000-pound vehicles traveling at 30-miles per hour, or 3,500 pound vehicles - the average weight of a compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) - traveling at 60 miles-per-hour. Four of these Hercules M30 bollards are proposed to go in front of the building on the side that faces The Lakes community. The side of the guardhouse that faces the community is further shielded by a median containing a line of large, mature palm trees, reducing the chances of a high-speed collision with the building on this side. Due to the quantity, sturdiness, and location of the proposed bollards, the project contains elements to shield the building from, and mitigate the effects of, potential accidents.
VIII. PUBLIC COMMENTS
On December 15, 2025, Angela Thorn provided further comments for the consideration of the Zoning Administrator. Her comments are included in Attachment I. The following is a summary of the comments with staff’s response.
Comment 1: The neighbor expressed concerns with the cost of the project and consequently expressed her opposition to the project.
Staff Response: Staff has reviewed this application for consistency with Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025, and has provided findings included in Attachment A in support of the project. While public comments may be provided for the review of the Zoning Administrator, these comments are civil in matter and do not call out concerns with the project as it relates to being consistent with Planning requirements. Therefore, Staff recommends approval of the project as it is consistent with Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025.
IX. STAFF ANALYSIS
A. General Plan Consistency: The subject property is a Home-Owner-Association owned lot that serves as the entryway to the community. This specific lot has three General Plan land use designations in order to be consistent with the designations of the multiple parcels directly adjacent. The designations include RM Residential Medium, PR Parks and Recreation, and RLM Residential Low Medium General Plan land use designation. The RM and RLM designations allow for residential densities at specific intervals, while the PR designation applies to parks and similar outdoor spaces. As such, a guardhouse to provide secure entrance to the community would be a use ancillary to the residential neighborhood, making it consistent with the RM and RLM land use designations. The guardhouse would also be consistent with the PR land use designation as an ancillary amenity that supports recreational uses by serving as an entrance to the open space on the property.
B. Zoning Compliance: The subject property is located in the P-1 Planned-Unit District established by Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025, Subdivision SD91-7686, and Rezone CDRZ-02963, which allowed for a gated Single-Family Residential community. As such, the guardhouse and drive isle canopy are consistent with the Final Development Plan by providing secure access into The Lakes Community. Therefore, a replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy is consistent with the intent and purpose of the P-1 District, and is compatible with other uses in the vicinity, both inside and outside the district.
C. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: The subject property is located within the Secondary Zone of the Delta, and therefore, not subject to the Delta Stewardship Council’s (DSC) Delta Plan.
X. CONCLUSION
The proposed modification of Final Development Plan CDDP91-03025 to construct a replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy structure at The Lakes at Discovery Bay, Single Family Home Community is consistent with the RLM Residential Low-Medium, RM Residential Medium, and PR Parks and Recreation General Plan land use designations and complies with the intent and purpose of the P-1 District established by SD91-7686 and RZ-2963. Staff recommends that the Zoning Administrator approve Development Plan CDDP25-03020 to modify Final Development Plan CDDP91-03020 to construct a replacement guardhouse and drive isle canopy structure at The Lakes at Discovery Bay, Single Family Home Community, based on the attached findings and subject to the attached conditions of approval.