To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Allocation of $50,000 from the Livable Communities Trust (District II portion)
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. ALLOCATE $50,000 from the Livable Communities Trust (District II portion) to The Park Theater Trust for the Lafayette Park Theater Renovation project, located at 3519 Golden Gate Way in the City of Lafayette, as recommended by Supervisor Andersen; and
2. AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute and enter into a contract with The Park Theater Trust in an amount not to exceed $50,000 for the Lafayette Park Theater Renovation project, subject to approval by the County Administrator and approved as to form by County Counsel.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No General Fund impact. This action allocated $50,000 from the District II portion of Livable Communities Trust Fund monies. The current balance in the District II portion of the Fund is $1,433,88.92 (prior to the allocation).
BACKGROUND:
Livable Communities Trust Fund
The Livable Communities Trust (Fund) is a Special Revenue Mitigation Fund that was established by the Board of Supervisors on November 15, 2005, following the approval of the Camino Tassajara Combined General Plan Amendment Project, also known as the Alamo Creek and Intervening Property residential projects, and was required as a condition of approval. The Trust was established to implement the County’s Smart Growth Action Plan. The residential developers pay an $8,000 per unit fee (excluding the affordable housing portions of the projects) into the Trust. The Department of Conservation and Development administers the Trust.
On December 3, 2013, the Board of Supervisors determined that revenue from the Trust should be spent equally among supervisorial districts. At complete build-out, deposits to the Trust will total $8,448,000. As of November 1, 2025, the account has collected $8,376,000 in revenue fees, and $1,693,309.59 accrued interest with $3,435,810.95 remaining in uncommitted funds. The approved expenditures to date are attached.
The Lafayette Park Theater Renovation Project
The Lafayette Park Theater Trust has committed to raise $12.5 million by December 2026 to renovate the historic 4,850-sq. ft., single-screen Park Theater building, located at 3519 Golden Gate Way in the City of Lafayette. The Park Theater has been closed since 2005 and the Lafayette Park Theater Trust has committed to renovate the theater building into a sustainable, multi-purpose civic resource that will include two theater spaces, a community meeting room, commercial kitchen, and a rooftop gathering place, creating a center for film and culture to serve all populations of the broader community and region. The building will also be available to regional nonprofits as a fundraising venue.
The use of the funds towards the renovation of the Lafayette Park Theater supports Smart Growth Action Plan number 4: To promote economic revitalization in urban infill communities. The allocated funding will go towards the fundraising efforts to renovate the theater.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without the allocation of the Fund monies, The Lafayette Park Theater Trust may not meet their fundraising goal by December 2026, delaying the proposed renovations and reopening of the Lafayette Park Theater.