Danville Bowl is gone. The building at 200 Boone Court was torn down earlier this year. In October, grading was underway on the 1.62-acre parcel, and building permit applications for the 49-unit townhome project called The Lanes were expected to be filed soon, according to Danville San Ramon's development update.

That bowling alley site is a fair preview of most of the new housing Danville will see in the next few years. Buyers who picture Danville as a town of detached homes on generous lots are picturing the existing housing. The new supply is mostly attached three-story townhomes on small parcels near downtown. The only new detached homes in the pipeline are a couple dozen hillside lots at the edge of town.

The bowling alley math

The Town's project page for The Lanes describes 47 three-story townhomes and two junior accessory dwelling units on that 1.62-acre parcel. That works out to about 30 homes per acre. The project drawings name The Address Company as the developer.

The design follows from the parcel. The developer asked for waivers under the State Density Bonus Law to raise the average unit size to 1,560 square feet against a 1,500-square-foot maximum, to build to 40 feet where 35 is allowed, and to shrink the front setback from 25 feet to as little as 3.1 feet. Building up and close to the street is how 49 homes fit on a site that once held one building and its parking lot. In exchange, the project includes two very low-income junior ADUs and two low-income townhomes, and it requested no extra bonus units.

The Planning Commission approved The Lanes on November 25, 2025. Pricing, bedroom counts and HOA details haven't been made public.

Why the town has less say in the shape

The timeline on The Lanes was set largely by state law. The application was filed under SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act. The Town's page explains that this gave Danville 30 days to decide whether the application was complete. After that, the Town had a maximum of 90 days and no more than five public hearings, Design Review Board meetings included, to act. If the Town missed that window, the project could be deemed approved under state law.

Local officials have been open about what this means for them. At a May hearing on a church-sponsored housing project, longtime Planning Commissioner Robert Combs said the town once "had some more say in how development would happen." He added that the land "has been designated with multi (family) housing," as Danville San Ramon reported. At the July appeal hearing on the same project, Mayor Newell Arnerich said the council was "incredibly frustrated by the limitations from the state of California," according to Danville San Ramon's coverage.

Behind these projects is a housing target. Danville's current Housing Element, approved in 2024, had to find room for the 2,241 new homes assigned to the town in this regional housing needs cycle, which runs through 2031. A town that is largely built out has few large flat parcels left. The housing has to go on sites like a bowling alley or land owned by a church.

The church site, and why some of these projects take years

The second project shows how long that pipeline can be. Community Presbyterian Church at 222 West El Pintado plans to expand its campus and replace 21 existing homes it owns with 49 townhomes and 19 accessory dwelling units. The site was named a housing opportunity site in the 2024 Housing Element.

The Planning Commission approved the project in May. A group of neighbors appealed, asking for traffic, parking and pedestrian-safety conditions rather than trying to stop the project. On July 21 the Town Council voted unanimously to uphold the approval. The Design Review Board took up final siting and design matters on September 24.

The Town's approval resolution also granted a Density Bonus Law concession, so the project doesn't have to underground the overhead utility lines along Ilo Lane. Four very low-income units will be provided as ADUs.

Timing is the important part for buyers. A church representative said the work will happen in four phases. First comes demolition for expanded church parking, then grading, and then the church sells the residential property to a developer. No builder, pricing or completion date has been announced. An approved townhome project in Danville can still be several steps away from homes anyone can tour.

The other kind of new: 21 lots on 103 acres

Danville's only significant new detached proposal shows the opposite pattern. Martin Hills Ranch, also called Elworthy East, would rezone and subdivide a 103-acre site at the end of Como Way and Borica Drive into 21 single-family lots and one residential parcel. About 86 acres would stay permanent open space. The Final Environmental Impact Report was posted on October 12. The Planning Commission scheduled a public hearing on the project for October 27, and the Town's project page posts updates as the process moves forward.

Here is how the three projects compare:

The Lanes would put 49 homes on less than two acres. Martin Hills would put 21 lots on about 17 developable acres, if you subtract the open space from the total. Both projects are new construction in the same town, built for very different buyers. Martin Hills is still in the approval process, so it isn't yet a confirmed source of new homes.

What this means if you are choosing between Danville and its neighbors

San Ramon makes a useful comparison. Trumark Homes has started construction on The Trails at Bishop Ranch, with 67 single-family houses and 128 townhomes next to the Iron Horse Regional Trail, on land in what was once a sprawling office hub, as Danville San Ramon reported. A large redevelopment site can still include detached homes. Danville's infill parcels mostly can't.

For a buyer, this changes the questions to ask. If you want a newer home in Danville, expect a three-story townhome near downtown and the I-680 corridor, with a small private footprint and possibly an HOA. Builders haven't released pricing or HOA terms for these projects, so ask for them when sales open. If you want a detached home with a yard, you'll almost certainly be shopping among existing homes. In that case, condition, past updates and the specific street matter more than whether the house is new.

Broad market numbers won't settle the choice. Across Contra Costa County in September 2026, the median existing single-family home sold for $870,000, up 0.1% from a year earlier. The county had 2.7 months of unsold inventory, and the median home sold in 19 days, according to the California Association of Realtors. Those figures cover the whole county, and nearby cities moved in different directions. A September Bay East column in Danville San Ramon reported that Livermore's median price rose 13% year over year while Dublin's fell 9%, and Pleasanton's homes took 37 days to sell, up from 26. Within Danville, a new attached home and an established detached home are separate markets, and comparisons should be made within each one.

Quick answers

When can I buy a townhome at The Lanes? As of the Town's October update, grading was underway and building permit applications were expected soon. No sales date or pricing has been published.

Will any of the new Danville units be income-restricted? Yes. The Lanes includes two low-income townhomes and two very low-income junior ADUs, and CPC Legacy includes four very low-income ADUs. Eligibility and sales rules will come from the program administrators.

Is Martin Hills Ranch approved? It had a Planning Commission hearing scheduled for October 27, 2026. The Town's project page is the place to check its current status.

This post covers how state housing laws shaped these projects as general information. It isn't legal or financial advice, so check how any rule applies to your situation with the right professional.

If you're weighing a new Danville townhome against an older detached home nearby, I can help you compare what each one actually gives you, from square footage and upkeep to resale. Danville Real Estate Company follows these projects from approval to sales so you can make the decision with current information. Let's Connect.