LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA — Lafayette’s skyline is beginning to look different.
Large construction equipment, including a huge red crane, now towers over the city’s downtown as work moves ahead on Oak Hill, a seven-story condominium development rising at 1001 Oak Hill Road near the Lafayette BART station.
The machinery is a conspicuous sight in a city where most downtown buildings are only one or two stories tall. It is also the clearest sign yet that a project discussed in city meetings for years has moved decisively from plans and renderings into actual construction.
When finished, Oak Hill is expected to contain 85 for-sale homes, ground-floor commercial space and two levels of parking. The project is replacing several older office and retail buildings on a roughly 1.2-acre site near the Highway 24 offramp, across Oak Hill Road from the shopping center anchored by Safeway and Whole Foods.
The Lafayette BART station is only a short walk away.
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One of Downtown Lafayette’s Biggest New Buildings
City planning documents put the building at seven stories and 87 feet, 9 inches tall. Its total size is expected to reach approximately 176,590 square feet, making it a major addition to Lafayette’s relatively low-rise downtown.
The plans call for 24 one-bedroom condos, 35 two-bedroom condos and 26 three-bedroom condos. Eleven of the 85 homes will be designated as below-market-rate units: four for very-low-income households and seven for moderate-income households.
The project also includes 2,067 square feet of commercial space along the ground floor. The developer has promoted the space as a potential cafe, although a specific tenant has not been announced.
Parking has been a major component of the design despite the project’s proximity to BART. Current plans include 155 vehicle spaces on the first two floors, along with 50 bicycle spaces.
Diamond Construction, the Lafayette-based company behind the development, is marketing Oak Hill as a luxury condominium community. Advertised amenities include a private library and conference room, fitness space, a golf simulator, a dog run, landscaped outdoor areas and an elevated lounge with views toward Mount Diablo.
The Project Grew — Then Shrunk Slightly
Oak Hill has changed substantially on its way to construction.
Lafayette initially approved a smaller 53-unit version of the development in 2024. After the city completed changes connected with its updated Housing Element and rezoned the property, the developer returned with a much larger 90-unit proposal.
The City Council approved that version in June 2025. While preparing detailed construction documents, however, the project team reduced the number of condos from 90 to 85 and cut the parking count from 178 to 155 spaces.
Developer Jeff Stone told the Planning Commission in June that the changes reflected both construction realities and feedback from buyers at Blue Oak, Diamond Construction’s recently completed condo project on Hough Avenue. Some smaller units were combined or enlarged, resulting in fewer homes but a greater number of three-bedroom layouts.
The revised version retains all 11 below-market-rate homes.
The Planning Commission approved the changes unanimously on June 1. Stone also told commissioners that construction financing had been secured. City officials and the developer held a formal groundbreaking on June 25.
A Very Visible Change for Lafayette
The project’s height is one reason it will be so noticeable.
The site’s zoning ordinarily allows a maximum height of 60 feet. Oak Hill received a waiver under California’s State Density Bonus Law allowing the building to reach nearly 88 feet in exchange for including qualifying affordable homes.
Plans use setbacks, terraces and a stepped design to reduce the building’s apparent size from Oak Hill Road. Still, there is no disguising the scale of a seven-story project in this part of Lafayette. Or the cranes currently constructing it!
Construction is expected to take roughly two years, with completion currently targeted for summer 2028. As with any project of this size, that schedule could change as work progresses.
