The Soledad City Council voted 3-0 (with two absences) on Wednesday, July 1, to approve the Almond Acres housing project, a planned development set to bring 67 residential units to a 12.48-acre site on the west side of Orchard Lane between Cedar Lane and Calle Valverde.
San Vicente and Gabilan elementary schools are adjacent to the area.
“Tonight’s council certifies the [Environmental Impact Report (EIR)]. Without certifying the EIR and environmental documents, the planned unit and vesting tentative map cannot move forward,” said Ariana Mora, senior planner with the City of Soledad.
The Almond Acres project, led by developer Nino Homes, a family-owned residential home builder based in Hollister, is working alongside the Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association, a nonprofit housing developer based in Monterey County. This project includes 55 single-family homes alongside a 12-unit multifamily complex designated as inclusionary affordable housing. The development will also retain the existing 18-unit Almond Acres Mobile Home Park, located on approximately 3.32 acres of the project site.
Mora also shared the 12 affordable housing units will include studios and 1-bedrooms.
The city’s Planning Commission voted 3-0 on June 1, to recommend approval of the project to the council and was first introduced to the council on June 17 for a planned unit development and vesting tentative map application.
“The project will have to pay park impact fees to support local park improvements and will be done through the permit process,” Mora added.
Soledad wants to develop 734 housing units by 2031 aligning with the city’s General Plan and Strategic Housing goals by focusing on infill development near schools, parks and transit.
“I am in favor of this project as it’s great for the community,” said Soledad resident Jake Martinez-Parry. “This will serve people living in Soledad such as my own family. We live with family right now and maybe one of these homes we can afford to live in one day.”