Three housing plans targeting a large swath of vacant land west of Old Town Temecula are up for approval.
During the 6 p.m. Aug. 21 Temecula Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners will review plans for the residential communities that are part of the 270-acre Altair Specific Plan.
The three projects would bring to the area a total of 467 housing units. The breakdown includes 99 detached three-story single-family homes ranging in size from 2,011 to 2,213 square feet; 156 two- and three-story duplexes ranging from 1,665 to 2,384 square feet; and 45 buildings containing 212 attached two-and three-story "rowhouses" ranging from 1,404 to 1,718 square feet, according to city documents.
Two parks, each under 1 acre, are also proposed amid the three communities.
The Altair Specific Plan calls for more development. Environmental documents show 1,750 residential units are proposed for the 270 acres, as well as an elementary school, commercial space, a clubhouse, civic site, parks and trails.
The applicant for the three projects to be discussed Wednesday is Brookfield Properties.
The Altair project dates back years. The environmental review process was completed, but conservation groups balked at the development citing the impacts on a wildlife corridor for endangered Santa Ana mountain lions and other creatures.
In October 2020, a legal agreement was hammered out with the city to protect the corridor. The pact permanently secures a 55-acre “south parcel” — one of the few passages left for mountain lions to move between coastal and inland mountains. The lion population suffers from extremely low levels of genetic diversity due to limited wildlife connectivity, according to the conservation groups Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Mountain Lion Foundation, and Cougar Connection.
As part of the October 2020 agreement, the conservation groups dismissed their legal challenge to the development.
Wednesday's Planning Commission meeting takes place in Council Chambers at City Hall, 41000 Main Street. See the full meeting agenda here.
When visiting events and local businesses, be sure to tell them Macaroni KID sent you... and don't forget to tell all your friends!
 |  |  |
