Lawn sign oposing the development (Photo – Melissa Michelson)
Members of the Emery Park Community Group and San Gabriel Valley Progressive Alliance have been protesting every Wednesday and Sunday against The Villages, a construction project of 1061 housing units in Alhambra. The project is owned by the Ratkovich Company and a foreign wealth management firm known as Elite International Investment.
By Brandon Tran
The protesters have demonstrated at the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Mission Street, the proposed location of the development, and at Alhambra City Hall.
They have listed several concerns over the project. In contrast to the companies’ framing of the units as affordable, they will cost at least $800,000 for each unit, excluding taxes and homeowners association fees. In addition, the project will bring 7,752 more cars to the area, significantly increasing traffic on an already commonly used road. Furthermore, the Final Draft of the Environmental Impact Report that investigated the impact of the development states that “the Project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts related to Air Quality… and Transportation.” The Alhambra City Council has yet to pass an affordable housing ordinance that would limit the pricing of new residencies.
“It’s not really for housing. We know it’s for profit,” one activist said. “They just never seem to vote with what the majority want. Just what a very rich minority wants.”
Protesting The Villages (Photo – Melissa Michelson)
Conflicts of interest
The protesters have called for Alhambra Planning Commissioner Suzi Dunkel-Soto and Councilmember Ross Maza to recuse themselves from the decision to allow the housing units to be constructed as they are real estate agents themselves and have conflicts of interest on the issue.
To spread their message, the activists have also placed 65 lawn signs that oppose the development in the neighborhood. Through this, they hope to raise awareness about the negative impact of the project on the community.
The Alhambra Planning Commission is planning to deliberate on The Villages again on Monday, August 17. The SGVPA plans to attend to voice its opposition against the project and encourage the Alhambra City Council to reject the proposal.
> Learn more about the Alhambra Planning Commission meeting here.
Brandon Tran is a political writer in the San Gabriel Valley.
How is 7,752 cars calculated from 1,061 units of housing?
Did you know that Villages site is considered Superfund? You can read the City’s response to Comment Number B74-5 (do a Find/Search in the agenda packet documents of an Oct. 2019 public letter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a0yShm2-AHmSgrpKrsrRaadnjZyVLJp8/view
The city makes a suggestion for “MM Modification…as the site is included in a superfund and site conditions could change between now and when the project is implemented.”
With more cars means more accidents and more vehicle vs. pedestrian accident and maybe even death. September 2019 my 89y/o grandmother was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street on Fremont and Front and the other car never looked right as he was only concerned of the cars coming southbound on Fremont he was only looking left. As a result she will never walk again. Is our city council ready to have all these accidents and deaths on their shoulders because I can guarantee this is what will happen. I live on the corner of Fremont and Mission and have seen one to many accidents.
On Sunday they protest in Downtown Alhambra at noon, too.