ULI SF is proud to announce the completion of the Dublin SCS Property TAP Report! ULI SF’s Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) provide strategic advice on complex land use and real estate development issues for local clients, such as municipalities, public agencies, and non-profit developers.

The City of Dublin engaged ULI SF’s TAP program for a third time following previous successful TAPs in 2011 and 2018. The focus of this TAP was on a large 77-acre site in east Dublin known as the SCS property. As one of the large vacant areas remaining in the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan (EDSP) area, the site has gone through several development proposals over the years, the most recent of which was rejected by Council last year amidst community pushback to the project.

The majority of the past challenges have been around the balance of uses proposed and the panel was tasked with assessing the SCS property to provide input and recommendations on land uses that “optimize synergy between land use, economic development, and community compatibility.” Specifically, the Technical Assistance Panel focused on the following questions provided by the City:

• What is the collective vision that the City should consider for the SCS property?
• What is the highest and best use for this site which optimizes land use, economic development and community compatibility?
• Considering the highest and best use, should the City master plan the entire 77 acres or look at different parts separately?
• Given the scope of the community outreach program, are there any other tools we should consider?
• How should the City’s requirement to provide housing for all income levels be addressed, given community opposition to housing on the site?

Drawing from our seasoned professional membership base, ULI SF composed a panel of experts from a wide variety of disciplines reflecting diverse perspectives, including land use and design, architecture, finance and development strategies, governance and policy, affordable housing and real estate development. TAP panelists included:

• Jim Heid, Founder, UrbanGreen Advisors & CraftWork Development (Panel Chair)
• Riki Nishimura, Principal, Populous (Panel Co-Chair)
• Jessica von Borck, Director of Land Use Planning, Stanford University (Panel Co-Chair)
• Elizabeth Kuwada, Associate Director of Real Estate Development, Mercy Housing California
• Josh Roden, President, Brookfield Properties Development, Northern California
• Nell Selander, Deputy Director of Economic & Community Development, City of South San Francisco
• David Shiver, Principal, BAE Urban Economics
• Mariana Ricker, Associate, SWA San Francisco (TAP Report Writer)

Following a four-day virtual workshop with stakeholder interviews and panel brainstorm sessions in late June 2021, the TAP panel developed several key takeaways:

1. Economic challenges are real but balancing financial feasibility with community benefits is possible.
2. Place is not just defined by retail and there are creative uses that can promote gathering and social interaction.
3. East Dublin has a unique character that should be celebrated by the SCS property to complement, not compete with Downtown Dublin.

Together, these are the principles that inform the panelist’s proposed vision statement: “The SCS property offers an opportunity to highlight what is authentic to east Dublin by creating a series of unique places that are linked by a walkable and bike-friendly network that can knit together this inclusive neighborhood with the adjacent community.”

The report emphasizes the importance of making something great rather than just what can be approved, outlining recommendations for a balance of economically feasible land uses that integrate with the surrounding community, as well as a series of financing, outreach, and design toolkits to assist the City and the property owner with next steps forward.

Read the full Dublin TAP Report here.