DANVILLE - The Town Council approved a plan Tuesday night for more than 76,000 square feet of retail and office space and 55 apartments on a 9.75-acre parcel, known to residents as the Navlet's site.

The Rose Garden development at Sycamore Valley Road and Camino Ramon also will contain a sit-down restaurant with a capacity of 150 and four smaller restaurants for sit-down and takeout customers.

"It's been a long time coming," said Danville Mayor Mike Doyle. "It's a nice parcel," and the developers, Blake Hunt Ventures and Castle Companies, produced a quality proposal, he said. "They're not going to build schlock."

Public comment on the proposal had been fairly evenly divided, and dozens of residents turned out Tuesday night to hear the details of the plan, which the planning commission approved in an advisory vote in January.

Residents were concerned about traffic. An analysis showed the development would generate 7,660 car trips per day.

Councilwoman Candace Andersen believes the developers took such comments to heart.

"I think the project became much more enhanced because (the developers) listened to the neighbors," Andersen said. It now includes a 150-foot buffer near homes and the developers agreed to add trees and landscaping in nearby neighbors' back yards to increase their privacy.

The portion of the development near homes will contain office space that will be empty at night and on weekends.

Councilwoman Karen Stepper made the motion to adopt a resolution containing the conditions of approval, which Councilman Newell Arnerich seconded, and the council approved 5-0.

The next step is a second reading of the ordinance, tentatively scheduled for March 15.

Contract for small-dog park

In other business, the council voted 4-1 -- with Arnerich dissenting -- to accept a low bid of $59,285 from Oracle Landscape of Concord to build a small-dog park at Hap Magee Ranch Park on the Alamo-Danville border.

Oracle's was the lowest of five bids.

The new 16,000-square-foot area within the existing dog park comes after a July 25 accident in which a miniature fox terrier was trampled to death by a larger dog.

The total cost for the small dog park is estimated at $65,213. There is $46,969 in the combined Danville/Alamo capital improvement fund for the park; the shortfall of $18,244 will be split between Alamo and Danville parks departments.

San Ramon has an 8,000-square-foot park for little dogs, and 44,272 square feet set aside for larger dogs. Concord has 17,424 square feet for small dogs and 69,696 for the large.