April 06–DUBLIN — The City Council on Tuesday gave the green light to a four-story 127-room hotel and 115 adjacent townhomes, which will share a 12-acre parcel in East Dublin.
The developments will be located at the southeast corner of Dublin Boulevard and Grafton Street.
The council voted 3-1 to approve the residential units, with Mayor David Haubert in opposition.
Vice Mayor Abe Gupta was required by law to recuse himself from voting on the housing units, since he owns property within 500 feet of the development.
The hotel was approved unanimously.
Council members expressed hope that the hotel would be a catalyst for more commercial growth in the area.
"I think the hotel is an asset for this project and something that we need in Dublin," said Councilman Don Biddle.
Some members of the public expressed concern that the owner of the land, prominent Tri-Valley developer James Tong, pleaded guilty earlier this year to fraud charges related to forging a mitigation receipt submitted to the city.
Mike Porto, the planning consultant on the project, has also recently been suspended by the city after questions were raised about his billing practices.
City Attorney John Bakker told the council they should avoid considering the character of the developer or the planner when voting on the project.
"I don't think those are factors you can consider in this particular land use decision. I think your focus needs to be on the actual project," Bakker said.
Contact Dan Lawton at 408-921-8695. Follow him at Twitter.com/dlawton.
