Alhambra Residents’ Protest of New Zoning Code Yields Some Results

Alhambra residents attend council public hearing on zoning, Nov. 13, 2023. (Photo – Ari G Arambula).

75’ 5-story Condo High Rises Citywide are “The Villages, Part Deux.”

By Ari Gutierrez Arambula

On Monday, December 11, 2023, the Alhambra City Council will continue deliberating on the zoning code update.  If the council follows current staff recommendations, it will dramatically change the City’s character and skyline forever.

Alhambra was developed through planned housing developments established in the early 1900s with housing tracts, including Lindaraxa Court and Emery Park, that attracted affordable new home ownership to the working class.  With its charming homes and shops, Alhambra became a mecca for retail and entertainment for the region and an employment hub for various industries.

With the proposed zoning changes, however, Alhambra’s residents are concerned that its quiet neighborhoods, low-profile buildings, and beautiful views of the San Gabriel Mountains will give way to 75-foot (5-story) high-rise mixed-use market-rate condos. Essentially, The Villages on steroids, but for the entire city.

Residents state that 30-foot (3-story) heights in mixed-use commercial zones in other cities have proven sufficient to meet the state’s density requirements.  Alhambra proposes to rezone to 75-foot (5-story) height allowances citywide on all commercial thoroughfares, including Valley Blvd, Main Street, the now vacant site of the old Twohey’s restaurant, and even on the small triangle lot at the intersection of Garfield, Atlantic and Huntington Drive.

At the Council’s recent public hearing on zoning, 40 speakers delivered over four hours of public comments. An overwhelming majority at the hearing (35-9) strongly opposed plans to blanket Alhambra with outsized concrete high-rise buildings.  In a respite for residents, the Council voted 3-2 to limit heights on East Main Street from Chapel to the City’s eastern border to 35’ (3 stories).  Despite their incremental victory,  Alhambra residents remain concerned they are on the brink of losing their mountain views and a chance to implement environmentally sustainable zoning and affordable housing plans citywide.

See the proposed zoning code through the City Council Nov. 13, 2023, agenda at cityofalhambra.org. Alhambra City Council members may be reached at 626-570-5010 or email luwan@cityofalhambra.org.