On Monday, April 8, the Planning Board conditionally approved a development plan and design review for ten new townhomes for sale—the Del Monte Towns—to anchor the corner of Sherman and Clement across from Jean Sweeney Park. The project is the third and final phase of the Del Monte Warehouse development.
Background
In 2014, the City adopted the Del Monte Warehouse Master Plan and a development agreement for the roughly 11-acre Del Monte Warehouse property. The Master Plan approved 414 total dwelling units and divided the property into three development sub-areas (A, B, and C).
Sub-area A includes the historic Del Monte Warehouse, which was rehabilitated to include 308 new townhome and condominium units for rent and approximately 30,000 square feet of commercial space. Completed in December 2023, the project is marketed as Alta Star Harbor.
Sub-area B includes a 31-unit senior living facility, Littlejohn Commons, at Buena Vista Avenue and Sherman Street. The project satisfies the very-low and low-income unit requirement for the Master Plan. The Housing Authority completed this in 2018.
Sub-area C, the proposed site of Del Monte Towns, is a half-acre parcel where Sherman Street terminates at Clement Avenue. The project will consist of ten row-house townhomes for sale and two common area lots. Townhomes will range from 1,862 to 2,113 square feet, each with three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
Buyers can create a junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) by adding a kitchenette to their unit’s ground-floor bedroom at the time of purchase. Buyers could use the ADU for a family member or tenant. Buyers can also optionally add a staircase to a roof deck. The site will comprise 10-20 total housing units depending on how many buyers include the junior ADU in their units.
Board discussion and final vote
The Board offered several recommendations to refine the design, such as introducing staggered setbacks between units to create small open spaces along the street frontage and simplifying exterior materials and architectural details to create more consistency between the front and rear elevations.
They unanimously approved the development plan and the design review conditioned on the applicant continuing to work with staff to refine the exterior design based on Board comments and memorialize access rights and maintenance responsibilities for the common areas. The Board also voted to recommend that City Council approve the project’s Tentative Tract Map.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.