Alhambra Highlands Project Comes to Planning Commission

The proposed Alhambra Highlands project - 112 custom homes on 300 acres in the Alhambra Hills - will be considered Tuesday by the Martinez Planning Commisison. At issue is the last major housing development in the city, constructed on some of its most visible and environmentally sensitive land.

The project has been over 20 years in the making, and has been through several iterations. The latest plan reserves a vast majority of the property for open space; 76 acres would be used for homes.

Though developer Richfield Investment Corp. has cut the number of proposed homes in half, there is still objection to the project, primarily from two quarters - the people who live near the project, and those who say there has already abeen too much development in what many see as John Muir's back yard.

Those who live nearby, particularly near Wildcroft Drive, say the project will add far too much noise and traffic to their now pastoral style of life. Wildcroft is proposed as the primary entryway to the Alhambra Highlands, and is expected to add hundreds of additional car trips per day to the road. There is also concern that the hillsides will not be able to hold the weight of the houses and roads when it rains.

"The thought of losing the beauty that is the hillsides behind us sickens us all," said Brain Fitzsimmons of Valley Glen Lane. "The thought of cars coming down a 15 percent (grade) hill, with many scrolling through their phones texting friends they're running late to meet...and being just a split-second away from careening into our backyard. It's insane."

"I'm worried about slides," said Jim Allen, an Alhambra Valley Road resident who lives below the proposed project. "And a 33-foot house is going to invade our privacy."

There is also much concern throughout the community for the loss of some 625 trees that will have to be torn down to make way for the project. Many of those trees are native oak. The city has proposed requiring the developer to replace one and a half trees for each tree removed.

The commission meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 525 Henrietta St.