The Significance of Infrastructure
As some of you may remember Piedmont, an Aquarius, just had its 119th birthday last month and the department of public works (DPW) has been quietly “glowing up” the infrastructure throughout 2025 for the celebration—like Rome in the lead up to Jubilee year but in Alameda County.
The city executed 21 major capital projects simultaneously—a record number delivered and underway as of December 2025. The portfolio spans Public Safety & Infrastructure (9-1-1 Dispatch Center replacement, storm drain upgrades at eight locations, Grand/Fairview green infrastructure), Streets, Mobility & Traffic Safety (10 streets paved, 32 striped, 17 ADA curb ramps installed), Parks, Recreation & Community Life (Piedmont Community Pool, Linda Beach tot lot renovation, Piedmont Park bridge replacement, pickleball courts), and City Facility Upgrades (waterproofing at Recreation Department, Wi-Fi upgrades at Community Hall, access control at City Hall).
But 2026 is when the really sexy projects start. Piedmont is replacing 24% of the city's sewer lines through two major projects—eliminating some deferred maintenance that typically haunts aging properties and neighborhoods—sure it’s going to tear up the streets for some number of months but it’s worth it.
Thank goodness we’re all used to the trucks and traffic diversions; I do have one complaint about all the improvements though.
I miss being able to pull into the Mulberry’s lot and get a parking space at lunchtime.
Reader Question
Without having an opinion about this week’s reader question I present this quote:
“He has the most who is most content with the least.”
― Diogenes
Q: I am retiring and really want to simplify my life. I want to buy a newer house with a lot less outdoor space but have had some resistance from my adult children about selling our family home. I don’t think they understand what a huge cost it is to keep up a house and garden this size. How can I get past the guilt trip?
A: Feeling guilty about selling the family home is normal, but it won't pay the property tax, the landscapers, fix the roof or pay the water bill. You can move past the guilt and not burn bridges by clearly communicating your wants with simple facts, emotional respect, and firm boundaries.
Your kids are romanticizing the house, not understanding the cost. Don't just hit them with fiscal reality and expect them to move on. Let them have some part in the decision. They'll listen better if they feel heard first.
"I'm considering selling and want your input" lands different than "I'm selling."
Then be clear about your needs without apology. "I'm tired. I want to spend my remaining energy on travel and my grandchildren, not this property." That's honest, and most adult children respect that once they hear it. The family home isn't really about the house—it's about the memories. Sell it if you need to but sell it on terms that let your kids let it go properly. You'll sleep better.
In the News:
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) went into effect January 1, 2026, and one of the big changes is to the federal estate and gift tax exemption.
For those that don't know, the unified estate and gift tax exemption is a federal limit on how much you can transfer to others—during your lifetime or at death—without paying taxes. And that number just got a lot higher.
The exemption jumped to $15 million per individual and $30 million for married couples, with a 40% rate on anything above that. These amounts are permanent now—inflation adjusted going forward—which kills the old sunset worry that would have cut exemptions in half; you can still gift as many people as possible up to $19,000 a year without paying taxes on it or that money counting towards your lifetime total.
Here's what it means in practice. You can now transfer assets to heirs under the new higher exemption while simultaneously using California's Proposition 19, which allows property transfers to children or grandchildren with only the first $1 million reassessed at the original tax basis. Anything above that gets reassessed at current market value, but the tax-efficiency improvement is real compared to full reassessment.
Did You Know
I’m sure you all absolutely know that Piedmont’s borders make no sense. They meander around hither and yon paying attention to nothing, not even property lines; There are 136 parcels that straddle the Piedmont-Oakland line, properties where one side belongs to Piedmont and the other to Oakland.
This twist of municipal geography is the result of a decision made in a hurry 119 years ago. In the rush to incorporate, the Piedmont founders grabbed the only map they had on hand to define the city’s borders. The map of the sewer lines beneath the city’s houses.
Now we all know the significance of infrastructure and hopefully will embrace, or at the very least not write cross letters to the editor complaining about, DPW’s coming big dig.
Real Estate Roundup
Here’s the complete data for January 2026:
Market Activity: Piedmont’s January market (Jan 1–31) was active despite tight supply. Using MLS activity for the period, closed sales: 4; pending: 5; active listings: 2; new listings: 1; withdrawn: 0. Median sale price for January closings was about $3.35M and the average days on market for active listings was roughly 11 days.
Building Activity: The City issued roughly 69 permits in January with a total valuation of nearly $1.1 million. Leading categories were residential renovations ($176K), roof replacements ($114K), and mechanical/electrical upgrades (~$99K), with notable activity in solar installations and several sewer line replacement permits—illustrating both homeowner modernization and ongoing infrastructure work.
Charlie and Ellen’s Objective and Unbiased Opinions
Not much happening with the real estate market, one standout property listed, “the one with the ornamental spheres in the back” Charlie said with a look hoping Ellen would miss his clumsy attempt at humor and she almost did.
And she’s correct. Piedmont is moving quickly—code rewrites to mirror state ADU/JADU law, new permit staff—and that translates into more construction, more traffic, and more pressure on neighborhood infrastructure even as DPW is digging in to replace roughly 24% of the sewer system; Moraga Canyon project is still a twinkle.
If the Council pairs speed with clear objective design standards, transparent timelines, and disciplined inspections, the town can choose to add modest housing without losing its character; if it doesn’t, the tradeoff will be felt block‑by‑block.
Questions, comments, tips, favorites? I want to know america@grubbco.com
