Pittsburg: Council gives first approval three-story office building next to civic center

PITTSBURG -- City council members gave tentative approval Monday to a development agreement for a long-delayed plan to transform an empty five-acre lot next to Pittsburg's civic center into a three-story commercial office building.

The project calls for Concord-based developer Garaventa Enterprises to erect a building between 65,000 and 75,000 square feet in size, a bicycle path, parking lot and a stand-alone full-service restaurant. The project is located next to a proposed eBART station at Highway 4 and Railroad Avenue.

Approval of the agreement between the city and the developer clears the way for the office project to go through a formal approval process before construction would begin. The agreement was tentatively approved by a 4-0 vote; Mayor Sal Evola recused himself because he is employed by Garaventa Enterprises.

The vote followed a recommendation by the Planning Commission to approve the development agreement.

The matter will come back for formal approval at a May 5 council meeting.

Five years ago, council members, acting in their roles as member's of the city's redevelopment agency, approved a similar agreement for a three-story building that involved giving the city-owned land to Garaventa Enterprises in exchange for developing it under the terms of the agreement.

The economic slowdown that began a short time later delayed the project, allowing previous approval agreements to expire. With the shutdown of redevelopment agencies in 2012, a new development agreement was needed.

The agreement calls for the project to be completed by September 2017.

Contact Eve Mitchell at 925-779-7189. Follow her on Twitter.com/EastCounty_Girl.

View original post here:
Pittsburg: Council gives first approval three-story office building next to civic center