Eden Housing is partnering with the City to develop an affordable workforce housing project on the City’s Downtown site. As currently proposed, this project would provide 130 units ranging in size from one to three bedrooms near the southeast corner or Railroad Avenue and L Street. The project will front onto a large public park, Veterans Park, which will connect to Stockmen’s Park to create a signature public open space area running from Livermore Ave. to S. L St. The City has entered into a "Regulatory Agreement" with Eden which states that Eden will implement application preferences for Livermore residents and employees. The resident selection policies (documenting live/work applicant preferences) are required to be submitted to the City for review and approval prior to marketing of the project; typically, six months prior to completing construction.
Eden secured a $14.4 million grant from Alameda County and received an extension from the County to give the project more time to complete entitlements and secure tax credit financing.
Since April 2020, the City of Livermore and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) have been in communication regarding oversight and management of the Old Train Depot site on Railroad Avenue Downtown. Communications with the Water Board may be viewed below.
On January 14, 2022 the City submitted the Data Gap Assessment with a Human Health Risk Assessment to the Regional Water Control Board for the Eden Housing site to respond the Water Board’s June 16, 2021 request. The Data Gap Assessment presents the results of additional subsurface testing completed in August and September 2021. In an Approval Letter dated January 31, 2022, the Water Board approved the Data Gap Assessment report, acknowledging that the report satisfies the Water Board's request for additional information and concurring with the recommendations presented in the report, including characterization of site conditions, estimated risks, and next steps. On February 1, 2022, the Water Board issued a Fact Sheet summarizing the results of the data gap assessment investigation and the next steps. In addition to being available on the Water Board's GeoTracker website, the Fact Sheet was mailed to 600 contacts near the Old Train Depot site.
As summarized in the Fact Sheet, the results show that the chemicals detected in soil gas and groundwater at the Eden site are the result of one or more releases from the nearby Quality Cleaners site and are not from prior lumberyard or train depot use on the Eden site. Based on the risk assessment, the Fact Sheet states that “the estimated risks are well within levels considered by the California and the United States Environmental Protection Agencies to be protective of human health and do not warrant further remediation or mitigation as part of the proposed development of the Property”. Accordingly, rescission of the city’s May 17, 2021 Interim Remedial Action Plan is recommended.
In the Approval Letter, the Water Board concurs with the characterization of the site and the risk estimates, and requests submittal of a Site Management Plan for the Old Train Depot site (in lieu of an Interim Remedial Action Plan) and a Remedial Workplan for the Quality Cleaners site. The Site Management Plan will describe soil management procedures to be used during construction of the Eden Housing project and the Remedial Workplan will propose source removal to address chemical concentrations in soil and soil gas at the Quality Cleaners site. While remediation at the Quality Cleaners site is appropriate, it is not necessary for the safe use of the proposed Eden Housing development.
Here is the full list of communications and reports:
See the third item beginning on page 8 for the Water Board's report on the Livermore Old Train Depot Cleanup and Affordable Housing Redevelopment project (the Eden Housing Project).
Video discussion from the June 14, 2021 council meeting regarding communications with the Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board concerning Downtown site remediation:
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