City Council considers next steps for Moraga Canyon Specific Plan
Published January 16, 2026
The City Council is poised to take the next step on the path towards implementing the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan on January 20, when they’ll consider a resolution outlining a process the City will use to identify a developer to bring housing to Moraga Canyon.
City Council meeting: Moraga Canyon Specific Plan
Tuesday, January 20, 6pm | Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue
Zoom: piedmont-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/89537973568
Agenda | Staff Report
The Moraga Canyon Specific Plan, adopted in October 2025, provides a vision and framework for the construction of 132 new homes on City-owned land along Moraga Avenue, including road safety improvements, design and landscaping standards, and wildfire safety requirements.
Before the City can begin soliciting project proposals from developers, the Council must choose between two potential approaches provided under state law.
Surplus Lands Act: “Exempt” determination provides for greater local control
California’s Surplus Land Act (SLA) requires cities that desire to lease or sell public property to follow a specific process that ensures the site is prioritized for housing. The SLA provides two paths for this process, depending on whether the site is determined “exempt” or “non-exempt”:
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For “non-exempt” sites, the State establishes the manner in which the opportunity is noticed to developers, parameters for negotiations, and which developer receives preference if there are multiple interested parties , giving the City little control over the process. Additionally, this path places limits on what kind of architectural requirements or design standards can be included.
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An “exempt” determination provides the City more flexibility to select a developer based on local criteria, but has more requirements for affordable housing. These deeper affordability requirements associated with an “exempt” determination are consistent with the affordable housing targets that already exist in the adopted Specific Plan.
Each path has advantages and tradeoffs. At a November study session, the City Council received a presentation from Economic & Planning Systems that outlined the process and timeline for both alternatives and provided a feasibility analysis for a series of development scenarios. In December, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) confirmed that a Moraga Canyon Specific Plan project would qualify for an “exempt” determination.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council will consider adopting a resolution choosing the “exempt” path, which provides for greater local control, and directing the City Administrator to move forward with next steps for preparing a request for proposals (RFP).
Community members can watch and participate in-person or remotely via Zoom. For those unable to join, meeting video and presentation materials will be available on the project website after the meeting.
The Moraga Canyon Specific Plan is available for download at piedmont.ca.gov/MCSP.