Last week, the Ratkovich Company offered the Alhambra City Council a sneak preview of the Villages at the Alhambra, a proposed multifamily residential development surrounding the C.F. Braun office campus.

Approximately one-third of the 45-acre property - bounded by Mission Road, Orange Street, Fremont and Palm Avenues - is improved with more than 900,000 square feet of office space, with a roster of tenants that includes Los Angeles County, USC and other entities.

The remaining 20 acres of developable land currently consists of parking lots and small commercial buildings.  Ratkovich proposes a three-phase development upon these underutilized sites, creating up to 1,061 residential units - 516 for sale and 545 for rent - with associated green space and circulation features.  This includes new pedestrian paseos and internal roads to break up the sprawling development site.  Per the City Council presentation, the proposed development is substantially less dense than the property's zoned potential - 2,878 residential units.

Ratkovich would begin construction with the proposed parking structure, located on the west side of the property along Palm Avenue.  The second phase would follow with three wrap buildings along Mission Road, immediately south of the garage.  The final component of the project would consist of three podium-type buildings and 36 townhomes at the northeast corner of the property.

Additional information will be available at the project's scoping meeting, which will occur on October 19 from 5-7 pm at the Oval Mall at 1000 S. Fremont Avenue.