Council Slashes Appeal Fee Deposits, Expands Parkland Fees to All Housing

The San Ramon City Council unanimously overhauled its land-use appeal fee structure, cutting the entry-point deposit from $4,500 to $1,500 in a move that directly addresses resident complaints that the old system priced ordinary families out of the process. In a busy session, the council also advanced an ordinance extending parkland impact fees to apartments for the first time and directed staff to explore a ban on commercial sales of bred animals.

• Appeal fee deposits drop from $4,500 to a $1,500–$2,500 tiered system, restoring pre-2024 entry points after residents called the old flat rate a "paywall"

• All residential projects, including apartments, will now owe parkland impact fees under an ordinance set for adoption March 24

• 1,008-fee master schedule introduced with 51% of fees adjusted by 2.82% CPI and seven development impact fees updated by a new nexus study

• Vice Mayor Rubio pushes to ban commercial sale of bred animals not covered by state law, citing distressed birds in local pet stores

• City bridge project wins Cal Cities' statewide Project of the Year and qualifies for a national award in September

Appeal Fees Drop to $1,500 After Marathon Debate

After nearly an hour of deliberation — the longest item of the evening — the San Ramon City Council voted unanimously to replace its $4,500 blanket appeal deposit with a three-tier structure that significantly lowers the cost for residents to challenge land-use decisions.

The basics: When a resident disagrees with a zoning or planning decision, they can file an appeal — but must first post a deposit to cover the city's processing costs. In 2024, the city set that deposit at $4,500 for all appeal types, based on a consultant study estimating 21 hours of staff time at $330 per hour. The new tiers are $1,500 for zoning administrator appeals, $2,500 for planning commission land-use appeals, and $2,500 for planning commission appeals involving residential, commercial, or mixed-use projects. All are deposits billed against actual staff time, with refunds only when an appeal fully overturns the original decision — no refunds for modifications.

Why it matters: The $4,500 deposit had become a lightning rod for criticism. Comparable cities on the I-680 corridor charge far less: Concord's citizen appeal fee is $95, Dublin charges $200, Walnut Creek roughly $200, and Danville just over $300. Only Brentwood, at $3,000 flat, came close. Two public commenters drove the point home.

Where things stand: Public commenter Greg Carr told the story of a hypothetical immigrant family that saved to buy a home in San Ramon only to discover a development project across the street — and no affordable way to challenge it. "Those fees, 4,300, 1,000, unacceptable in any man's lifetime, anywhere in this enlightened society," he said, urging a $500 maximum.

Jim Blickenstaff put it more bluntly, comparing San Ramon's fees to its neighbors: "Concord citizens appeal is $95. Walnut Creek's 200, plus or minus. Danville's a little over 300. San Ramon, 4,500." He said that in 35 years of living in San Ramon, he has never seen a developer walk away because of an appeal.

Staff acknowledged the tension. Lauren Barr, Community Development staff, reminded the council that a free alternative already exists: "We have the call-for-review provisions where a member of the public can get one member of the council to agree to call something up and then they're not charged anything and the city absorbs the cost." She framed the core question as cost recovery versus subsidizing access: "That's a choice that the council has discretion to make if they want to make these things easier for the public to appeal."

The other side: Vice Mayor Marisol Rubio supported lowering the entry point but warned about the downstream effects of perpetual appeals on housing delivery, referencing school enrollment declines tied to stalled projects. She noted that state law has increasingly streamlined housing approvals through bills like SB 330 and expressed concern about repeat frivolous appeals delaying needed development.

Councilmember Sridhar Verose initially proposed a two-tier system with a $200 flat fee for zoning administrator appeals — matching Dublin — and a $4,000 deposit for complex planning commission appeals. Councilmember Robert Jweinat countered with a three-tier deposit system at $1,500, $2,500, and $5,000.

Mayor Mark Armstrong ultimately proposed the compromise that carried the day: "I've kind of gone round and round on how I feel about this, but that's really kind of where I'm sitting right now, is the full cost recovery. But I also feel that we gotta lower the bar to initiate an appeal somehow." His framework — $1,500/$2,500/$2,500 — largely restored pre-2024 deposit levels.

Decisions: The council approved the tiered deposit structure 5-0 (For: Armstrong, Adler, Jweinat, Verose, Rubio; Against: none). On the refund question, the city attorney raised equal-protection concerns about granting partial refunds for modified approvals, leading the council to adopt a clean rule: refunds only when an appeal is 100% successful in overturning the prior decision.

What's next: The master fee schedule, incorporating the new appeal fee tiers, goes to a public hearing for adoption on March 24, 2026.

Apartments Will Pay Parkland Fees for the First Time

The council introduced an ordinance that, for the first time, requires all residential projects — including apartments — to pay parkland development impact fees. The measure also shifts fee calculations from a per-unit to a per-square-foot basis, as required by updated state law.

The basics: Under the existing municipal code, parkland dedication and in-lieu fees applied only to residential subdivisions, effectively exempting apartment complexes. The new ordinance closes that gap and updates references to the city's nexus fee study so future study updates won't require additional code amendments. The city's parkland level-of-service standard is 4.91 acres per 1,000 residents.

Why it matters: San Ramon is planning for 5,111 new housing units under its state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation. As denser multifamily projects become a larger share of new construction, extending parkland fees to apartments ensures those developments help fund park infrastructure. The ordinance also eliminates a land-appraisal requirement for in-lieu fees, streamlining staff review.

Ryan Driscoll, city staff, presented the ordinance and noted that recent state law allows developers to delay fee payment to occupancy rather than building-permit issuance — a change staff warned could create a temporary revenue gap for capital improvement projects. Staff confirmed that 100% affordable housing projects can receive fee waivers, which also serve as the city's local match for affordable housing funding.

The other side: Public commenter Susie Ferris Idricom expressed concern that the new ordinance would shift the city away from creating new large-scale parks and toward simply collecting in-lieu fees to refurbish existing facilities. She proposed a specific alternative: "I would like to propose that the city consider the use of the parkland trust monies to purchase the Clubsport tennis court property associated with the proposed Toll Brothers Townhome project." She described the site as centrally located between the CityWalk and Windermere growth centers and envisioned a citywide court park for tennis, pickleball, and badminton.

Jim Blickenstaff submitted written comment requesting the public hearing be continued, citing quality-of-life and parks concerns.

Decisions: The council opened and closed the public hearing and introduced the ordinance, all on 5-0 votes (For: Armstrong, Adler, Jweinat, Verose, Rubio; Against: none). Adoption is set for March 24, 2026.

Master Fee Schedule: 1,008 Fees, Seven Impact Fee Updates

Budget Manager Yulia Elbow introduced the FY 2026-27 master fee schedule covering 1,008 total fees. Of those, 48% remain unchanged (set by state, county, or city ordinance), 51% are adjusted by the Bay Area Consumer Price Index at 2.82%, and 1% — 10 fees — are newly added by Parks and Community Services.

A nexus fee study conducted by David Tolson and Associates updated seven development impact fees, including school-age child care, parkland education, park and recreation facility, open space development, public art, affordable housing commercial linkage, and residential inclusionary housing in-lieu fees. The study — required every eight years under AB 602 — shifts calculations from per-unit to per-square-foot.

Councilmember Verose pressed staff on cost-recovery gaps and technology fee increases (from 4.6% to 4.74%), and compared San Ramon's business-permit processing times unfavorably to Pleasanton, where permits are processed in one day for $50 versus San Ramon's five days and $150.

The public hearing for adoption is set for March 24, 2026.

Vice Mayor Pushes Ban on Bred Animal Sales in Stores

Vice Mayor Marisol Rubio used her council-initiated item to ask the city to explore a local ordinance restricting commercial sale of bred animals. California's AB 485, effective since 2019, requires pet stores to sell only rescue dogs, cats, and rabbits — but does not cover reptiles or birds.

Rubio described what motivated the request: "I can speak from firsthand experience walking into a store and unfortunately seeing a bird that had been for sale at a commercial store for over a year and nobody was buying this bird and it got so distressed that it was plucking its own feathers off."

She cited West Hollywood, Hermosa Beach, South Lake Tahoe, Turlock, Los Angeles, and San Diego as cities that have passed similar bans. The city attorney offered to research state law limitations and comparable ordinances and prepare a memorandum. A council majority directed staff to bring back findings at a future meeting.

Minor Items

• Consent calendar approved 5-0 with no items pulled.

• American Red Cross Month proclamation recognized 1,148 Contra Costa County volunteers who responded to 101 disasters, installed 778 smoke alarms, and trained 12,164 people in first aid and CPR. Eva Marquez of the Red Cross noted the organization responded to two fires in San Ramon, helping about 10 families. Students from the Dougherty Valley High School Red Cross Club — the largest Red Cross club in the Bay Area with about 300 members — described certifying over 40 youth in CPR and hosting their first club-run blood drive.

• Resident Greg Carr opposed a 5G small cell tower application on a residential light pole near his home, citing health concerns from electromagnetic fields and family cancer history.

• City bridge project won Cal Cities' overall Project of the Year for California and the American Public Works Association's Northern California Project of the Year, qualifying it for the national APWA award to be announced in September. Mayor Armstrong noted the city is "batting 1,000" on all award applications.