Council approved a development project on a 5-0 vote for 68 single family homes on a 70 acre site on the westside of Rancho Hills Drive in the northwest quad during their regular meeting Monday night.
The DeNova Homes development includes single story and two story homes with very similar layouts in three different architectural styles (cottage, Monterey and Spanish).
The housing track is a part of the Rancho Hills/Deer Park development which began in the early 1980s, said City Planner Melissa Durkin.
Councilwoman Cat Tucker initially showed some skepticism about the development, saying that the homes didn’t look as detailed or well-executed as other homes in the area.
“To me, these look very plain and don’t look anything like the other homes in the area,” Tucker said.
Durkin convinced Tucker that the proposed homes fit in nicely with the style of the other homes in the northwest quad, and Tucker ultimately voted in favor of the project.
Three Rancho Hills neighbors spoke at the Council, asking Councilmembers to pass the project under the stipulation that the remaining three lots that DeNova is not developing in this phase of the project – an area of picturesque oak trees on the hillside – would have to go before Council for a full review if developers later decide to build there.
“What we’re asking is very simply that these three lots go through a planning Council approval process rather than just a staff review,” said Bill Scheider. “We would like to not have someone build a house at the top of the hill 10 years from now without us knowing.”
Neighbor Tom Espersen agreed. “We would like the opportunity to make sure that whatever houses are built there in the future, that we have a say, or at least an opportunity to be heard.
Council agreed to pass the project with the stipulation that the remaining three empty lots go before them in the future, rather than being approved by a staff review alone.
