Goal 7 Hillside Development

Goal LU-7: Preserve the rural and natural character of hillside development areas.

Hayward contains a number of unique hillside neighborhoods and hillside developments. This goal and its supporting policies are designed to preserve the rural and natural character of hillside development areas.  The policies in this section support hillside developments that are sensitively located and designed to retain natural slopes, ridgelines, and sensitive habitat areas.  They also require developments to provide connections to adjacent open space and trail networks. 

Additional policies related to hillside development, such as landslide hazards and wildland fires, are provided under Goal HAZ-1 and Goal HAZ-5 of the Hazards Element.

The City shall prohibit the construction of buildings on unstable and steep slopes (slopes greater than 25 percent).

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)

The City shall discourage the placement of homes and structures near ridgelines to maintain natural open space and preserve views. If ridgeline development cannot be avoided, the City shall require grading, building, and landscaping designs that mitigate visual impacts and blend the development with the natural features of the hillside.

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)

The City shall require curvilinear street patterns in hillside areas to respect natural topography and minimize site grading.

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)

The City shall encourage narrow streets in hillside areas. Streets should be designed with soft shoulders and drainage swales (rather than sidewalks with curbs and gutters) to maintain the rural character of hillside areas and minimize grading impacts. The City shall prohibit parking along narrow street shoulders to provide space for residents to walk and ride horses.

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)

The City shall encourage the clustering of residential units on hillsides to preserve sensitive habitats and scenic resources as natural open space. Sensitive areas and scenic resources include woodlands, streams and riparian corridors, mature trees, ridgelines, and rock outcroppings.

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)City Master Plans, Strategies, and Programs (MPSP)

The City shall require new hillside developments to provide public trail access (as appropriate) to adjacent greenways, open space corridors, and regional parks.

Regulation and Development Review (RDR)

The City shall consider de-annexing properties outside of the City’s sphere of influence (e.g., Pleasanton Ridgeline) if cooperative agreements with Alameda County, Pleasanton, and the East Bay Regional Park District are in place to permanently preserve the properties as open space or regional parkland.

Inter-governmental Coordination (IGC)Planning Studies and Reports (PSR)