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Developers pitch walkable Monterey Drive village; neighbors press for traffic fixes and stormwater protections
Summary
The Wood Companies presented a concept for a 94,000‑sq‑ft, walkable mixed‑use village on Monterey Drive in the Bridge Street District that preserves a row of trees and proposes trading a city parcel for cemetery expansion. Commissioners welcomed the quality focus but pressed the applicant on Building E, garage screening and traffic mitigation; neighbors urged a traffic signal, stormwater safeguards and protections against cut‑through traffic.
The Wood Companies on Thursday presented a concept plan for a 7‑acre, walkable village at Monterey Drive, proposing roughly 94,000 square feet of retail and eating/drinking space centered on a public square and anchored by mid‑rise, town‑scale storefronts. Mark Wood and Tyler Poole said the project emphasizes high‑quality materials, pedestrian connections to Monterey Park and a central civic square while avoiding late‑night bar uses.
Staff told the commission the review is nonbinding under recent Bridge Street District code changes and that the focus tonight is broad land‑use, site layout, open space and circulation rather than final details. The application shows a city‑owned corner parcel that the applicant proposes to trade back to the city for cemetery expansion; staff said cemetery dedication would be decided by City Council as the project advances.
Commissioners lauded the applicant’s emphasis on pedestrian scale but repeatedly pressed for clarity about Building E, which the applicant said will read as shorter to pedestrians because of articulated storefront bays even though one measured portion is 215 feet in length. Commissioners asked how the long building will provide retail frontage rather than a service back, how the second floor of the parking structure will be screened so cars are not visible to cemetery visitors, and whether the plan includes contingency options if retail leasing proves difficult. The developer said bank financing will require substantial preleasing and that the project would not move forward unless it met the team’s quality and leasing thresholds.
Neighbors who spoke said many in Waterford Village and Monterey Drive favor the design and the absence of residential units, but raised safety and infrastructure concerns. Nicole Salva, representing Waterford Village, and other residents urged a traffic signal at the Bridge/Monterey intersection, expressed worry that the new streets could encourage cut‑throughs into neighborhood streets, and asked for stronger stormwater mitigation for a creek that already floods nearby yards. Residents also asked that the garage be screened, that 24/7 security be part of the plan if a garage is built, and that the city and applicant continue neighborhood meetings.
Commission discussion after public comment emphasized the same tradeoffs: commissioners generally supported the proposed scale and public square but asked the applicant to further study circulation (especially a potential pedestrian/vehicular cut‑through behind Building E), opportunities to diversify uses above the first floor to reduce retail risk, and technical traffic warrants that staff will evaluate. Staff noted the city is conducting a Bridge Street corridor study that will inform future on‑street parking and frontage decisions. Because concept plans in this district are advisory and nonbinding, the commission did not take a formal vote on the Monterey concept tonight; it provided feedback to the applicant and to staff about circulation, vehicle/ pedestrian interfaces, open space programming and stormwater concerns.
Next steps: the applicant indicated a preliminary development plan and final development plan will follow if a path forward is agreed with the city. Staff and commissioners said future submissions should include traffic warrant analyses, clearer garage screening elevations, confirmed access points, and a stormwater management approach for the creek and downstream properties.
