The Problem

The City of San Ramon is looking for an innovative solution for a troublesome, 2+ acre parcel of Commercially Zoned property it aquired for free due to the dissolution of the State's Redevelopment Program.  What makes this property a problem for the City is that; 1) there is a dilapidated restaurant building that needs to be demolished on this parcel, 2) it is located adjacent to a creek that has eroded the side of the ravine causing a major mudslide and undercutting the small parking lot, 3) it will cost upwards of $2,000,000 to reengineer the creek bed to keep the creek from further damaging the parcel, 4) the value of the parcel, currently appraised at $1.2 million, is shrinking due to the mudslide and blight, and 5) it has attracted both vandalism and underage drinking and drug use to the property due to its neglect.

One solution is for the Parks Department to take over the land, and San Ramon taxpayers will foot the bill for reengineering the creek bed, removing the building, improving the land for public use, and lose the sale proceeds.  The compounded cost to the citizens of San Ramon is upwards of $4,000,000 (or more!!), not including the future upkeep of this parcel.  All this, when there are two city parks adjacent and within a block of this commercial property?  This is NOT a good solution for the taxpayers of San Ramon.

The Best Solution

There is a win-win solution being reviewed by the City!  The Sarang family, in San Ramon, wants to purchase the parcel, fix the creek, remove the dilapidated building, and build a state of the art preschool that will combine education, ecology, and energy efficiency.  There is currently a shortage of good preschools in San Ramon; wait lists are commonplace, with working parents driving their children to adjacent communities, like Alamo and Dublin, to obtain a quality preschool education. The Sarang's vision will be a model of innovation and an asset to our community.

In addition to improving this commercial parcel, offering more educational choices to the residents of San Ramon, and adding another innovative local small business to our community, our thoughtful neighbors have also developed a plan to improve the adjacent Community Gardens Park and provide for future funding of this City Park.  As part of this partnership, the kids of Mudd Pie's Preschool will have access to a spectacular open space for learning and creative exploration.  This stands to be one of the many gems of our community.

This truly is a win-win solution.  The City gains the proceeds of the sale of this blighted Commercial parcel, rids itself of the cost and liability of the eroding creek bed, provides an opportunity for a LOCAL family to offer our community a much needed addition to its amazing education network, and helps to transform a seldomly used park into an attraction for all San Ramon residents.

Sign This Petition and Spread the Word!!

Please sign this petition to let the City of San Ramon that you support fiscal responsibility and local, resident run small businesses.  By signing this petition you support innovative education and public-private community partnerships.  This petition says "no" to wasteful City spending and "yes" to empowering the residents of San Ramon to create the opportunities for our kids and neighbors to more easily engage in the family and education oriented activities our community holds most valuable. 

Thank you for your support!!  Please contact us if you would like to take a more active role in helping to spread the word about this amazing project.  Here's a quick link you can share:  http://bit.ly/MudPiesPreschool