City Continues Efforts to Address Homelessness

As part of its ongoing efforts to address homelessness in Concord, the City has begun work on the development of a Homeless Strategic Plan. At its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 13, the Council Committee on Housing and Economic Development (HED) will discuss the formation of a working group to assist with the creation and oversight of the plan. 

A resident survey conducted in January cited homelessness as an area of concern for many Concord residents. The City has set aside $5.4 million in one-time funds to be put toward activities established in the Homeless Strategic Plan. 

One step in the effort of developing this plan is for the City to define the makeup and the method for selecting a working group, which will ultimately be tasked with overseeing the development of the Strategic Plan and offering diverse perspectives on issues concerning it. 

You can find the meeting details and full staff report in the HED meeting agenda.

Homeless Services Web Page

To help keep the community updated about the various programs, services and resources available to our unhoused residents, the City maintains a Homeless Services web page. The page also features monthly data related to Concord’s Coordinated Outreach, Referral, and Engagement (CORE) team. For example, in the month of September, Concord's CORE team assisted with eight stable exits of unhoused individuals from the streets to a shelter, rental apartment, sober living home, or the home of a friend or family member.

Also located on this web page is a newly updated fact sheet that features 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) count data from Contra Costa County as well as a funding list showing partner organizations that receive City funding in FY 2022-23 to provide critical services. 

Join Our List

If you are interested in receiving direct email updates about the City’s work to address homelessness, please join our mailing list.

Affordable Housing Project to Break Ground at Former Blockbuster Site

A 181-unit affordable housing project located in downtown Concord is set to break ground before the end of the year. At its Oct. 11 meeting, the Concord City Council adopted a resolution that would approve the issuance of the California Municipal Finance Authority (CMFA) multifamily housing revenue bonds. 

The funds, which can be issued in an amount up to $85 million, will finance the acquisition, construction, improvement and equipping of The Argent apartment project, located at 2400 Willow Pass Road. The project developer and CMFA - not the City - will be solely responsible for repaying the bonds. 

Located at the former Blockbuster Video site, the new multifamily rental housing project will include 21 units for households earning 30% of the area median income (AMI); 19 units for those earning 50% AMI; 57 units for those earning 60% AMI; 82 units for those earning 70% AMI; and two managers' units.

In Concord, the maximum income limit for a family of four at 30% AMI is $42,850; 50% AMI is 71,400; 60% AMI is $85,680; and 70% AMI is $99,960.

The total 181 units will count toward the City's goal of creating 5,000 new housing units by the year 2031 -- a goal that was established by the state as part of its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) and is included in the City's current Housing Element Update. 

The Argent is expected to break ground by December 31, 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

High School Students Tour Concord Manufacturing Facilities

The City of Concord, in collaboration with the Mt. Diablo Unified School District Career Pathways Program and the Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative, are once again providing tours of manufacturers located here in Concord in celebration of 2022 Bay Area Manufacturing Week.

High school students across Concord in Civil Engineering, Construction & Building, and Engineering & Manufacturing classes visited local manufacturers Akesis, Rivendell Woodworks, Inc., and Calitho to get a first-hand look at the structures, the processes, the facilities, and the unique products that make up each of these businesses. Students also learn the value of manufacturing to the economy and the various avenues they can pursue to enter into the field.

These tours help put a spotlight on the manufacturing economy in the Bay Area. According to the California Employment Development Department, Alameda and Contra Costa counties hold 112,500 manufacturing industry jobs, which is nearly 10% of the jobs in both counties combined. The City of Concord continues to partner with the Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative and neighboring cities to promote and support manufacturing jobs here in the Bay Area.

Article Highlights Regional Win for Intergovernmental Collaboration

As we first reported in the Sept. 14 issue of City News, the City of Concord is honored to have received the prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Intergovernmental Collaboration category, along with the other 18 cities and towns in Contra Costa County, for our partnership with Contra Costa Health Services and collaboration on the development of the A3 program. 

Read the full Western City magazine article about how this partnership created a regional model for behavioral health crisis response and care. 

BART Offers Bus Bridge During Weekend Track Repairs

BART is replacing concrete ties near the Pleasant Hill station which were damaged as part of the derailment on this portion of the track in June. They have been operating trains at reduced speeds in this part of the system since the incident. The work will require three non-consecutive weekends in October and November when track crews will need the entire trackway space to perform these repairs. On the following weekends free buses will replace trains between the Pleasant Hill and Concord stations:

• October 15-16
• October 29-30
• November 12-13

Riders in the area should expect delays of 30 minutes on the bus bridge weekends. To avoid the bus bridge, riders can begin their westbound trips at Walnut Creek or Lafayette. Both stations have had ample parking on weekends throughout the pandemic.

Read more.

We're Hiring

Why spend time commuting when you can work in the city you call home? 

Concord is hiring! Check out our open positions: 

• Administrative Secretary (City Management) NEW!
• Associate/Senior Planner (Community Development)
• Construction Inspection Supervisor (Community Development, Building)
• Parks Manager (Public Works)
• Police Dispatcher II
• Police Officer -- Lateral and Trainee
• Recreation Facility Specialist (Parks & Rec)
• Recreation Program Coordinator (Parks & Rec) NEW!
• Senior Administrative Analyst (Public Works) 
• Senior Lifeguard/Swim Instructor (Parks & Rec)
• Senior Network Systems Engineer (IT)
• Traffic Signal Technician (Public Works)
• Video Services Coordinator (Community Relations) NEW!
• ... and more! 

Apply today! 

The City of Concord's upcoming public meetings include:

• Thursday, Oct. 13: Design Review Board
• Thursday, Oct. 13: Special Meeting of the Housing & Economic Development Committee
• Tuesday, Oct. 18: Special Meeting of the Policy Development & Internal Operations Committee
• Wednesday, Oct. 19: Planning Commission
• Wednesday, Oct. 19: CANCELLED--Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District Grant Committee
• Thursday, Oct. 20: Design Review Board
• Tuesday, Oct. 25: City Council

See the full calendar.

To receive email or text notifications when the meeting agendas are posted, please subscribe to alerts using the "Notify Me" tool on the City's website.

City Council and Planning Commission meetings are broadcast live on Concord TV (Astound/Wave 29 and 1026, Comcast 28, U-verse 99) and streamed through the City's website as well as rebroadcast at later times.