A protest across the street from the proposed luxury development, Oct. 16, 2019 (Photo – Emery Park Community Group)
On Tuesday, July 6, 2021, the Alhambra City Council is expected to vote on Alhambra’s largest, most controversial housing development in city history.
By Melissa Michelson
After a raucous Design Review Board meeting on January 28, 2020 where community members raised numerous concerns, “The Villages” went before the Planning Commission on July 14, 2020. The first five meetings of three to four hours each were taken up by over 300 public comments. Despite the developer having reduced the total number of units to 839 units, the Planning Commissioners overwhelmingly rejected the Ratkovich Company and Elite International Investment’s application and recommended the City Council do the same.
In January 2021, the City Council had to get through six hours of public comments before they could start deliberating. Since then, the Council has created two different sub-committees that met with the developer to negotiate the terms of the Developer Agreement that is now up for a vote and included in the Tuesday City Council packet.
A Break-down of the Developer’s Agreement
The developer’s contract with the City is not any more defined than the last-negotiated proposal brought forth at the June 17 city council meeting. Several items are still vague and the language on the document does not hold the developer accountable.
The large number of parking spaces (4,347) has not changed since the Planning Commission rejection, even though the total number of units has been reduced from 1,016 to 790.
Affordable Housing: Depending on what the City Council decides, the developer is offering to set aside 49 (or 9%) units of the 545 rentals for tenants that make no more than $72,100 or $81,100 for a two- or three-person household respectively, (considered “low-income”), and 32 (or 6%) rentals for tenants that make $74,200 or $83,500 for a two or three person household (considered “moderate income”). Reference: State of California Department of Housing and Community Development “State Income Limits for 2020” memo. The developer is making the City Councilmembers decide whether they want a $1million blank check or 17 more units designated for low-income residents.
Full construction is expected to last 10+ years. The contract gives the developer carte-blanche as to when they build the affordable units.
Despite calls from individual council members, community organizations such as Emery Park Community Group, Grassroots Alhambra and the Coalition for Equitable Development at The Villages, and members of the public, the developer is still not offering affordable options for any of the 294 for-sale units.
Contamination: The document reads that if the developer has reason to believe there is a hazardous substance in one section (specifically, Lot 8) of the newly developed property, he will give written notice to the City and only in certain circumstances will the developer be obligated to remediate. The developer will hold the City harmless for any harmful effects from land contamination only in Lot 8 of the 16-acre residential development. The entire 33-acre property that includes “The Alhambra” office complex and LA Fitness is located on Superfund-designated land and in Alhambra’s historic industrial zone.
Traffic and public transportation: Perhaps most vague is the section “Traffic Assessment and Management.” The contract states:
“One year after completion and occupancy of [either the 294 for-sale units or the 545 rentals, whichever they decide to build first], and again one year after the issuance of the final Certificate of Occupancy for the [entire] Project, the Developer shall undertake trip counts to assess daily project traffic.”
At the last city council meeting, Councilwoman Sasha Renee Perez asked the developer’s spokesperson Megan Moloughney how many units would be constructed before they start their traffic counts but was given no answer.
Crosswalks: Consistent with the other two negotiated proposals, the developer will provide two traffic lights with crosswalks, one at Orange and Date at the northern corner of the property, and the other at Date and Mission at the southern end. In several council meetings, Councilman Jeff Maloney and other councilmembers questioned the walkability of the property and requested more clarity from the developer on how “The Villages” residential compound will promote walking in the surrounding industrial zone. As there are no shops, cafes, or other city amenities to walk to from the site, the public has questioned whether these crosswalks promote the walkability often touted by the developer.
“Open” Space: The definition of open space is not clear in the contract. In previous Council meetings, the term ‘green space’ was used but in reference to walkways, shrubs and landscaping. The developers are offering to construct a half-acre park at the north-east area of the property along Orange. The developer also will construct a community room that Alhambrans can reserve through the city, though the size, location or rental cost is not described.
Protesting The Villages, Augst 17, 2020 (Photo – Emery Park Community Group)
Community’s Concerns
The Emery Park Community Group has been opposing “The Villages” development since 2019 and have held various demonstrations across from the development and outside City Hall. Emery Park’s “Density and Traffic Related Concerns about The Villages” letter submitted to the City on June 17, 2021 opposes the development for its lack of accurate data on the Kimley Horn traffic analysis, lack of proven walkability, and the increase of anywhere from 4,262 to 5,466 more cars a day along Fremont due to the 790 luxury units.
Other community groups have been opposed to The Villages, including Grassroots Alhambra, the Coalition for Equitable Development at The Villages, and Alhambra Preservation Group.
In a recent letter to the City Council, Grassroots Alhambra writes, “After hundreds of hours of testimony, overwhelming rejection by the Planning Commission and many attempts at negotiation, the fact remains that this project is and always has been fundamentally incompatible for its site and its constraints, including traffic and contamination. Therefore, the City Council should not feel obligated to accept this proposal simply because there have been some ‘improvements’ since the developer’s initial concept.”
Final Vote, Tuesday, July 6
After a year and a half of city meetings, the final vote on “The Villages” is scheduled to take place. As is customary, the public will have an opportunity to comment first, specifically on the Developer Agreement and the contents of the packet.
The public can email the City Council at vnguyen@cityofalhambra.org before 5:00 pm Tuesday, July 6, 2021 to let them know their intent to participate, then log on to the Zoom meeting at 6 pm and wait to be unmuted. They can then speak for a period of up to five minutes. They can also send their comment to lmyles@cityofalhambra.org before the same deadline, and their comments will be read into the record during the meeting.
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