City Council Approves Cameron Hills Development

The quiet Cameron Hills neighborhood may not be so quiet for too long.

According to the Fremont Argus, City Council approved a plan last week that calls for building 33 single-family homes on a 7.6-acre property near Caldas Court. The area overlooks Sabercat Historical Park and sits between I-680 and the Mission San Jose neighborhood.

The plan was approved 4-1 with Councilman Vinnie Bacon the sole dissenting voice on the Council, the Argus reports.

The development has been a hot issue with locals in the area who say the project would tarnish the city’s hillside. Last week’s meeting brought out about 100 area residents, according to the Argus.

One resident told the Argus that the area is “one of the last remaining hillside spaces available in Fremont,” and that the development plans aren’t sensitive to the beauty and character of the neighborhood.

Though the project was ultimately approved, area residents took their fight online, setting up the Shape Our Fremont website, www.ourfremont.com, in an effort to rally support to stop the development.

The website, which was announced on Fremont Patch last month, hosts project design diagrams, data and analysis.

According to the Shape Our Fremont website, the project would increase traffic in the neighborhood’s residential roadways, adding up to 300 cars a day Castillejo Road and Via Orinda outlets.

The group also says the proposed plan doesn’t match with the city’s zoning codes and that construction would remove some native trees and vegetation, among other complains.

There may, however, be a compromise.

According to the Argus, a spokesman on behalf of Lennar Homes, the site’s developer, said the developer would try to address community concerns and reduce the size and number of homes. The developer will also try to leave 25-percent of the land for open space, the Argus reports.