Photo above: Walnut Creek BART station seen from the south parking garage, Walnut Creek, California, November 2019. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A lot of new housing, most of it on old office and commercial land. The city lists 422 townhomes on Mitchell Drive as approved, homes at the BART Transit Village as under construction, and several apartment buildings still in review. On November 3, 2026, Walnut Creek voters will also decide Measure U, a citizen initiative that would rezone a 2.4-acre office site across from Walnut Creek BART for housing serving primarily people 55 and older, plus shops.
We don’t take sides on ballot measures. Below is what the official documents say, so you can read the rest yourself.
What is Measure U?
It’s a zoning change for one corner, not a building. Measure U would amend the General Plan, the North Downtown Specific Plan and the zoning map to create a new district called “Mixed Use, Residential Senior & Commercial” (MU-RSC). It would apply it to a 2.4-acre parcel at the northeast corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, across from the Walnut Creek BART station (City Attorney’s impartial analysis of Measure U, August 19, 2026).
Here is what the impartial analysis says the district would do:
- Change the use from office to mixed-use residential. Allowed uses would be mainly senior housing serving primarily persons 55 or older, residential care and congregate living, supportive and accessory housing that state law requires, and compatible retail.
- Set a base density. One home per 425 square feet of net lot area.
- Double the commercial floor area ratio. From 0.3 today to 0.6.
- Propose no specific project. A future project could use any or all of the allowed uses, as long as it includes the senior housing.
The ballot question on the city’s election page asks whether to redesignate the site “from office uses to mixed use residential uses” and limit it to multifamily senior housing and compatible commercial uses (City of Walnut Creek, November 3, 2026 Election page, checked September 24, 2026).
Could a building there be taller than downtown’s height limit?
Possibly. The City Attorney’s analysis says future senior housing there would likely qualify for a state density bonus, which starts at a default 20% bonus. A density bonus project can also ask to waive city standards, including setbacks and the Measure A height limit that applies to the site. The July 21, 2026 council report puts that Measure A limit at 89 feet (City of Walnut Creek, Agenda Report, Item 6b, July 21, 2026).
A future project could also need environmental (CEQA) review, or could qualify for an exemption. The analysis doesn’t say which.
Could the city change the zoning later?
Only in limited ways. Per the impartial analysis, without voter approval, or city approval of an application from the landowner, the city could not substantively amend the new district or reduce its development capacity on this 2.4-acre site. The council could apply the same district to other Walnut Creek properties in the future.
The council report adds two facts about the site. It is owned by Hall Equities Group, and it is not in the city’s 2023-2031 Housing Element site inventory (City of Walnut Creek, Agenda Report, July 21, 2026).
What does a yes or no vote mean?
Straight from the impartial analysis:
- Yes approves Measure U and its amendments.
- No rejects them.
- It passes with a simple majority of yes votes.
If it passes, it takes effect on the earliest date the law allows. If the city has already used its limit of four General Plan amendments for the year, the General Plan changes would wait until January 1 of the next year.
What did the city’s 9212 report find?
The city hired consultants to study the measure under Elections Code section 9212. RSG, Inc. did the fiscal analysis and Planwest Partners, Inc. did the land use work. The council report summarizes the findings (City of Walnut Creek, Agenda Report, Item 6b, July 21, 2026):
- Cost to put the measure into the city’s plans: about $250,000, mostly staff time.
- Cost to put it on the ballot: an estimated $30,000 to $35,000.
- If a project gets built under it: $257,000 to $552,000 a year in added property tax, property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees, and sales tax, plus $66,000 to $83,000 a year in added General Fund and Measure O costs for police and arts and recreation services.
- Affordable housing: affordable units under the city’s inclusionary rules, or about $6.4 million to $7.7 million in in-lieu fees for a 100% market-rate project.
The report also says the measure alone doesn’t require anyone to redevelop the property. The proponents’ committee, Friends of Walnut Creek Senior Housing, is reimbursing the city for the cost of the 9212 report under an agreement the council approved on April 21, 2026.
These are the city’s estimates, not ours. How they affect your own tax bill is a question for a tax professional or the Contra Costa County Assessor.
How did Measure U get on the ballot?
Through a voter petition. The timeline from the council report:
- March 16, 2026: notice of intent to circulate filed with the City Clerk.
- March 25, 2026: the city issued the ballot title and summary.
- April 3, 2026: signature gathering began.
- April 21, 2026: council ordered the 9212 report.
- May 4, 2026: petitions filed with the City Clerk.
- June 26, 2026: the County Registrar of Voters certified 5,000 valid signatures out of 7,248 collected. The minimum was 4,987, or 10% of Walnut Creek’s registered voters.
- July 21, 2026: council received the report. State law gave it two choices, adopt the measure as written or send it to voters without changes.
The measure went to the ballot under Resolution No. 26-44, which the city’s election page links with the full initiative text.
Where can I read both sides?
On the city’s election page and in your county voter guide. As of September 25, 2026, the City of Walnut Creek’s November 3, 2026 Election page links three documents for Measure U: the resolution with the full measure, the City Attorney’s impartial analysis, and an argument in favor. No argument against Measure U and no rebuttals are posted there as of that date. (For Measure T, the same page posts arguments for and against and both rebuttals.) We are reporting what is posted, not taking a side. You can also ask the City Clerk for a free mailed copy of the measure at (925) 943-5818 or [email protected] (impartial analysis).
The same ballot has Measure T, which asks whether the City Treasurer should become an appointed position (same page).
Dates to know from the city’s election page:
- Week of October 5: ballots start arriving by mail.
- October 19: last day to register (you can still register and vote conditionally after that at county sites).
- November 3: Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by then and received within 17 days.
Drop boxes in town are at City Hall (two boxes), the Shadelands Art Center at 111 N. Wiget Lane, and Grace Presbyterian Church at 2100 Tice Valley Blvd. Contra Costa County Elections answers ballot questions at (925) 335-7800.
What else is being built in Walnut Creek?
Here’s the city’s own list, with each status as posted (City of Walnut Creek, Development Projects page and project pages, checked September 24, 2026; the pipeline list was last updated May 8, 2026).
Approved:
- Mitchell Townhomes, 2775 and 2815 Mitchell Drive and 2125 Oak Grove Road. 422 condo-style townhouses replacing 11 office buildings, with 55 (13%) set aside for low-income households. Units run 1,270 to 2,067 square feet, each with a two-car garage. It was processed under the Builder’s Remedy and the Housing Accountability Act. The council heard two appeals on April 7, 2026, and Contra Costa News reported the council denied them and approved the project 4 to 1 (Contra Costa News, April 10, 2026).
- Oakmont Senior Housing, 2800 Mitchell Drive. About 9.5 acres with 254 age-restricted apartments in four buildings plus a residential care facility with 114 living units.
- 1455 Montego Senior Living. A medical office building converted to a residential care facility with 19 assisted living and 20 memory care units.
- Walnut Creek Transit Village, 200 Ygnacio Valley Road. The city lists it as under construction. BART says the plan is about 596 homes and 27,000 square feet of retail, the first phase of housing (358 units at the Waymark) was finished in 2023, and the developer is planning the second phase (BART, Walnut Creek Transit-Oriented Development page, checked September 24, 2026).
Under review:
- Cityview, 1910 North Broadway (the DMV site). Two six-story buildings with 140 homes and 2,500 square feet of ground floor retail on 1.56 acres.
- Mt. Diablo Mixed-Use, 2094 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 74 homes, eight of them very low-income, on five floors over ground floor commercial space.
- Centre Place South, 1271 to 1275 South California Blvd. A seven-story building on 1.32 acres at Botelho Drive with 26 units for low-income households, filed under the Housing Accountability Act and Density Bonus Law.
Withdrawn: The Restoration Hardware design review for a 30,500 square foot commercial building at 1000 S. Main St. and 1401 Mt. Diablo Blvd., next to Broadway Plaza, was withdrawn on June 1, 2026.
What does this mean if I’m buying near one of these sites?
Plan for change on the block. Check the city’s Major Development Projects Map for anything within a few streets of a home you like, and read the project page for its status and hearings. Near North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, that includes the Measure U site and the Transit Village. Near Mitchell Drive and Oak Grove Road, it includes Mitchell Townhomes and Oakmont.
What we won’t do is tell you whether any of this will raise or lower home values. Nobody can know that. What we can do is pull recent sales on the street and put the project documents in front of you before you write an offer.
Questions people also ask
What is Measure U in Walnut Creek?
Measure U is a citizen initiative on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It would rezone a 2.4-acre office site at the northeast corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, across from Walnut Creek BART, into a new district for senior housing serving primarily people 55 or older and compatible shops. It proposes no specific project, per the City Attorney’s August 19, 2026 impartial analysis.
How many votes does Measure U need to pass?
A simple majority of yes votes, according to the City Attorney’s impartial analysis dated August 19, 2026. If approved, it takes effect on the earliest date the law allows. If the city has already made its four General Plan amendments for that year, the General Plan changes would take effect on January 1 of the following year.
Is the Mitchell Townhomes project in Walnut Creek approved?
Yes. The City of Walnut Creek lists Mitchell Townhomes as approved. It is 422 condo-style townhouses on Mitchell Drive and Oak Grove Road, with 55 units for low-income households, replacing 11 office buildings. Contra Costa News reported on April 10, 2026 that the council denied two appeals and approved it 4 to 1 on April 7.
What is being built at Walnut Creek BART?
The Walnut Creek Transit Village at 200 Ygnacio Valley Road. BART says the plan calls for about 596 homes and 27,000 square feet of retail, the first phase of 358 homes at the Waymark opened in 2023, and the developer is planning the next phase. The city lists the project as under construction, checked September 24, 2026.
Your next step
Found a home near one of these sites? Send us the address. We’ll pull the project pages, the hearing dates and recent sales on that street so you can decide with the facts in hand. Talk to a Walnut Creek agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Walnut Creek: Is Walnut Creek, CA a good place to live? · Walnut Creek market update · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Walnut Creek, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- City of Walnut Creek, City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis, Measure U, dated August 19, 2026: walnutcreekca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Walnut Creek, November 3, 2026 Election page (Measures T and U, ballot question, linked documents, voting dates, drop boxes): walnutcreekca.gov/government/departments/city-clerk/elections-voter-registration/november-3-2026-election-4243 (checked September 25, 2026)
- City of Walnut Creek, City Council Agenda Report, Item 6b, “Receive the Elections Code 9212 Report Regarding the Walnut Creek Senior Housing Transit Village Initiative,” July 21, 2026: walnutcreek.granicus.com (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Walnut Creek, Development Projects page and project pages for Mitchell Townhomes, Oakmont Senior Housing, 1455 Montego Senior Living, Walnut Creek Transit Village, Cityview, Mt. Diablo Mixed-Use, Centre Place South and Restoration Hardware: walnutcreekca.gov/government/community-development-department/development-projects (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART, Walnut Creek Transit-Oriented Development page: bart.gov/about/business/tod/walnutcreek (checked September 24, 2026)
- Contra Costa News, “Walnut Creek: Mitchell Townhomes Project Moves Forward After Appeals Denied,” April 10, 2026: contracosta.news