San Ramon residents against new home development proposal

SAN RAMON, Calif. (KGO) -- Hundreds of San Ramon residents plan to show up Tuesday night for a City Council meeting to complain about a controversial new home development proposal that will be under consideration. The proposal would add 740 new homes to the community.

Resident Dale Williams thinks that enough growth is enough. "They're chopping into this hill and it opens the door to go further," he said. "We don't even have water. It's a drought. That tank isn't going to take care of all those houses plus the new ones."

Williams is among hundreds of San Ramon residents who have signed petitions against the home development proposal called Faria Preserve. It's a project that would essentially cover the hills with new homes, including single-family homes, townhouses, senior housing and lighted sports fields.

There's no plan for any new schools. "There's no planning, no provision for this development in terms of having kids go to neighborhood schools," resident Robert Klingner said.

"The intersections are already Grade D. Put 6,000 more car trips in there and we are Grade F," resident Mike Jones said.

City Councilmember Harry Sachs was planning commissioner back in 2006 when the project was first green-lighted. "There is a legal entitlement for some sort of development and we have to go with that. My goal, I think, is to present to our city council mitigations that would call for a further reduction in that development," he said.

As it is now, more than two-thirds of the 288 acres would be preserved as open space. The current developer, Lafferty Communities, did not return ABC7 News' call for comment.