Height disparities between existing condo heights and lack of setback, sidewalk and vegetation including trees for the new building compared to recently built condos (Photo – Ari G Arambula)
While the world was battling COVID, the City of Alhambra drafted its Housing Element and Zoning Update to the General Plan, a vision map for the planned growth of the city.
By Ari Gutierrez Arambula
Required public engagement on these critical planning tools has been hampered by unprecedented COVID restrictions on public gatherings and many residents are unaware of the proposed changes.
This issue came to a head at the most recent council meeting, Monday, February 27, 2023, when public comments cited concerns that proposed zoning changes by city staff seem to accommodate the wishlist of developers more than creatively addressing the affordable housing shortage. The changes proposed to rezone 100% commercial as residential AND increase maximum building height to 75-feet, as well as to rezone and areas citywide as “RH” for residential high density. Residents are concerned the new zoning code will allow development in a way that drastically changes Alhambra from a suburban “city of homes” to an urban cacophony of hi-rises.
> Alhambra Planning Commission meetings are held on the first and third Monday of the month and City Council Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of the month. For meeting information, see the agendas tab at city of alhambra.org. Council members may be contacted at 626-570-5010 or constituents may write to each or all of them at luwan@cityofalhambra.org.
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Legalize building more dense housing!