Measure U changes the land use designation and zoning on a 2.4-acre site in north downtown Walnut Creek, at N. California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, across the street from the Walnut Creek BART station.

Today, the site is designated and zoned primarily for high-density Class A office space, with commercial uses allowed on the ground and top floors. Measure U would rezone it for senior housing instead, while still allowing ground-floor shops and services. The total building square footage allowed on the site would not change.

Measure U creates a new zone — Mixed-Use Residential Senior Commercial (MU-RSC) — modeled closely on the City’s existing Mixed-Use Residential (MU-R) zone, which already governs much of north downtown. Two key differences: homes built under MU-RSC must be reserved for seniors, and slightly more ground and top floor commercial space is allowed (up to 60% of the site, versus 30% under the standard MU-R zone).

Measure U applies only to this one site. It does not change land use regulations or rezoning for any other parcel or property in Walnut Creek.

Walnut Creek and its surrounding communities have a large and growing senior population — many who have lived here for decades and are now looking to downsize, while staying close to family, friends, healthcare, and the community they know. Seniors make up roughly half of Walnut Creek’s population, yet housing options that let them stay nearby are limited. The gap between the number of seniors and the housing built for them is growing — nationally, regionally, and right here at home.

Within 2 miles of Walnut Creek BART (per a recent report prepared for the City):

• Nearly half of Walnut Creek’s households — about 13,000 — are senior households (age 55+)
• Only 330 of those households live in housing reserved exclusively for seniors
• Just one senior housing project is currently under construction: The Glen at Heather Farms, 354 homes
• No other senior housing projects are planned or proposed anywhere within two miles of BART

The 80+ population, 2025 to 2040:

• Nationally: nearly doubling, from 14.75 million to 27 million
• Bay Area region (SF-Oakland-Berkeley PMSA): doubling to nearly 500,000
• Contra Costa County: doubling to 115,000

What that means close to home, today:

• Within 10 miles of BART: roughly 22,000 people are already 80 or older, and nearly 80,000 are 65+
• Within Walnut Creek city limits: just over 6,700 people are already 80 or older, and over 20,000 are 65+

That 80+ population will double again over the next 12-13 years.  Here in Walnut Creek, and in every community within 10 miles of the BART station, the 65+ age group is 3 times what the 80+ population is today. Yes, our City has Rossmoor, Viamonte and other senior age-restricted communities, but they are neither BART nor downtown adjacent. For many seniors, being able to stay in the community they’ve called home matters. So does having the ability to live independently, with public transit right at their front door and the freedom to get virtually anywhere without having to drive.

Measure U helps make both possible. Voting yes on Measure U is a way to create more housing options for Walnut Creek seniors and better prepare our community for the growing need ahead.

The site sits at the corner of N. California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, across the street from the BART station. Under current zoning, the site could be developed with up to 350,000 square feet of additional office space, at a height of up to 89 feet. It sits within the same block as the Ygnacio Center office campus — three office buildings, roughly 550,000 square feet total.

The new zone matches the density allowed under the City’s existing MU-R zone: one residential unit per 425 square feet of land. On this 2.4-acre site, that works out to roughly 235–240 senior housing units.

That’s not enough on its own to meet the region’s growing need — but approving Measure U allows a project here to move forward in about half the time it would otherwise take, since it removes the need for a separate, lengthy rezoning application.

The site is next to the Walnut Creek BART station and within walking distance of downtown shopping, dining, and services. Residents also have access to the free Downtown Trolley and other transit options, making it easier to get around without driving.

By allowing senior housing to be built near BART and downtown, Measure U helps to offer older adults a chance to remain in Walnut Creek, stay independent longer without a car, and remain connected to friends, family, healthcare, shopping, and cultural opportunities throughout the Bay Area.

Measure U directly implements long‑standing General Plan goals, including providing housing for seniors, encouraging mixed-use development near transit, supporting walkability and the overall health of residents and creating a vibrant, accessible downtown. 

Measure U updates the land use designation in the North Downtown Specific Plan from “Office” to “Mixed Use – Residential Emphasis,” aligning with the Specific Plan’s goals to create a diverse mix of uses, new public spaces, pedestrian-friendly design, increased evening and weekend activity, and more services and amenities for residents and workers.

The initiative also allows for commercial space that could accommodate a full-service market—identified as a very high priority for the area north of Ygnacio Valley Road.

Measure U creates a new zoning district called “Mixed Use – Residential Senior & Commercial.” This new district would limit the land use to senior housing and commercial uses compatible with senior housing.

No.
The City commissioned an independent fiscal impact study (completed July 2026), which found that Measure U would generate more tax revenue for the City than the cost of providing municipal services to the property.

By focusing housing near BART and everyday services, Measure U reduces reliance on driving, supports public transit use and aligns with city priorities to reduce traffic and encourage walking and transit-oriented living. Senior Housing is known to generate relatively less peak hour traffic demand versus standard multi-family housing, and significantly less than uses such as office buildings.

Development would still be subject to Walnut Creek regulations. However, like all residential sites in California, additional density and waivers of regulations, including Measure A height limits, may be allowed by State Density Bonus Law in certain circumstances. Density Bonus projects, when they occur, are best placed in high-density areas near public transit, such as BART stations.

No. Measure U only changes what can be built on the site—it does not approve a specific building design. The property owner will still need to submit a building design to the City of Walnut Creek for review and evaluation.

The property owner—who also owns the entire Ygnacio Center office campus—would be allowed to attract a high-quality commercial tenant or potentially develop a public market similar to those found near the Rockridge BART station or Embarcadero BART station in San Francisco, where multiple food and beverage vendors come together alongside complementary shops and dining options.

This type of amenity could serve future senior residents, the roughly 2,000 employees who could work at Ygnacio Center at full occupancy, BART commuters, and residents of the several thousand housing units already built or planned within four to five blocks of the station.

This initiative would allow the property owner to remove one of the smallest two-story office buildings on the block and replace it with senior housing and retail. None of the other major office buildings on the site would be affected by this initiative.

Mixed-use development brings a different, more consistent kind of foot traffic than office alone. Office uses drive activity mostly on weekdays, 8am to 5pm. Residential uses bring people out in the evenings and on weekends. Together, the two create steady foot traffic seven days a week, from early morning through evening — not just a weekday lunch rush.

That more consistent traffic pattern lets nearby businesses extend their hours, adjust their schedules to match when customers are actually out, and count on steadier revenue throughout the week rather than a handful of predictable peak windows. More reliable foot traffic means more stable local businesses.

• It supports the City’s General Plan and North Downtown Specific Plan, both of which call for the highest housing density closest to BART.
• It responds to the North Downtown Specific Plan’s stated goal of bringing a full-service market to the area.
• It supports planned pedestrian and bike improvements along Ygnacio Valley Road and N. California Boulevard, separating foot and bike traffic from these busy roadways.
• It helps the City meet its state-mandated housing targets (RHNA) — this site wasn’t included in the City’s existing Housing Element inventory, so Measure U adds capacity the City doesn’t currently have credit for.
• It directly addresses the Housing Element’s identified need for housing serving seniors and people with disabilities, in the location best served by public transit in the entire city.

Measure U gives longtime residents the opportunity to stay in Walnut Creek as they age.

Beyond housing, Measure U strengthens downtown by creating new business opportunities near public transit, and advances the City’s own goals for housing, sustainability, and quality of life.

240 senior housing units won’t fully solve Walnut Creek’s senior housing shortage on their own—but adding these homes would be a meaningful step in an ideal location. The housing would be just steps from BART, giving residents direct access to destinations throughout the Bay Area without having to rely on a car.

That means easier access to family and friends, dining and cultural attractions, major airports, healthcare providers, and communities throughout the region. Combined with neighborhood shops and services within walking distance, this location would give seniors greater freedom to get where they need to go, stay connected to the people and places that matter, and maintain their independence without isolation.

Measure U is sponsored by Friends of Walnut Creek Senior Housing. Its major supporter is Hall Equities Group, a longtime owner and operator of real estate in Walnut Creek, which acquired the Ygnacio Center office campus—including the Measure U site—in June 2025.