Measure U on Walnut Creek's Nov. 3, 2026 ballot asks voters whether to rezone 2.4 acres at the northeast corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road — across from the Walnut Creek BART station — from office uses to a new Mixed Use Residential Senior & Commercial district. The change would allow multifamily housing primarily for residents 55 and older, plus commercial uses compatible with senior housing. It needs a simple majority.

The measure does not approve a specific building. A future project would still go through city review, and may face CEQA review or qualify for an exemption, according to the City Attorney's impartial analysis on the Contra Costa County elections site.

What a yes or no vote means

A yes vote adopts the General Plan, North Downtown Specific Plan and zoning amendments that create the MU-RSC district on that 2.4-acre parcel. A no vote leaves the site zoned for office uses.

The City Attorney's analysis says the base density would be one unit per 425 square feet of net lot area, and the maximum floor-area ratio for commercial uses would rise to 0.6 from 0.3. Senior projects would likely qualify for California's default 20% density bonus, and could seek waivers of some local standards, including the Measure A height limit on the parcel. The city's inclusionary housing rules would still apply.

The Walnut Creek Record, citing the same city attorney analysis, reports the density could allow up to about 282 units with the bonus. The site is part of the larger Ygnacio Center office campus; under Measure U, roughly one-third of that campus would be eligible for the senior mixed-use rules.

How it reached the ballot

Measure U began as a voter-sponsored petition, the impartial analysis says. The Walnut Creek City Council then voted 5-0 on July 21 to place it on the November ballot rather than adopt the zoning changes itself, the Record reported. Council members Darling, DeVinney, Silva, Mayor Kevin Wilk and Mayor Pro Tem Francois all voted yes.

Hall Equities Group owns the property. Mark Hall told the East Bay Times, as reported by the Record, that he chose the ballot route after studying an earlier senior-housing idea at the site since 2019. No formal development application has been filed; Hall has said one could reach Planning by the end of 2027 if voters approve the rezone.

Money, arguments and what else is on the ballot

A city-commissioned impact analysis cited by the Record estimated about $250,000 in one-time staff costs to update planning documents, and — if a project is built — roughly $257,000 to $552,000 a year in new sales and property tax, plus development fees that could reach about $7.7 million for a 100% market-rate project.

The ballot pamphlet carries an argument in favor from Friends of Walnut Creek Senior Housing and others, saying seniors make up a large share of local households but little nearby housing is set aside for them, and that Measure U would allow more than 200 senior homes near BART without raising taxes. No argument against Measure U was filed, according to the county elections materials and the Record.

Walnut Creek voters will also decide Measure T on the city treasurer and fill two City Council seats. Nearby school funding is covered in our Acalanes Measure W guide. Transit funding that would affect BART service is on the regional ballot as Measure RTM. Every local measure we have covered is on the Bay Area Brief Election 2026 hub.