Alhambra Hills Group Will Speak at City Council Meeting

They came up with a name, the Alhambra Hills Open Space Committee, and a goal: to purchase 300 acres of pristine hillside property that is part of the Alhambra Hills and is slated to become the site of 112 homes, if the current property owner's project is approved.

"They" are the 36 people who gathered Sunday afternoon at a local union hall to organize themselves into a group that will attempt to convince local leaders to turn down the Alhambra Highlands project, and instead convince the property owner to sell it and set it aside for permanent open space.

There is more than just the property at stake for some; there is the matter of pride in what has been preserved in and around Martinez.

"We lead the world in balancing open space and population," said Hulett Hornbeck, one of the members of the group, and a retired property negotiator for the East Bay Regional Park District.

"It's one gorgeous site," said organizer Tim Platt as the meeting began. "It features old growth oak forests, lush fields and meadows. It's close to Strenzel Meadows, and the views of Mount Wanda and Mount Diablo are gorgeous."

At the initial meeting of the open space committee, members divided areas of responsibility, such as communication and publicity.

"If we don't get organized, we have no power," Platt said."We need to show the City Council and the Planning Commission that there is a group interested in preserving these hills."

The goal, he added, is to sign up 500 people by the time the issue is heard before the City Council, which it almost certainly will be. The Planning Commission is slated to hear the item April 12, and could decide then whether or not to approve the plan. No matter what the commission decides, the issue almost certainly will be appealed to the City Council.

Platt said members of the group will appear at the April 6 council meeting, at which they will voice their support for preservation during the open public comment period since the issue is not on the agenda. Members also will attend the commission meeting April 12.