Moraga Planners Look At 126-Home Development

The public will have its say Wednesday on a plan for 126 homes in the Bollinger Valley, at the alpine eastern edge of Moraga.

The hearing is before the Moraga Planning Commission at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School auditorium.

The plan is to locate the 126 homes on 92 acres of the site and retain open space on the remaining 94 acres, according to a Planning Commission staff report that is attached to this article. The fields and ridges are now undeveloped with cattle grazing there.

The property takes in some of the higher elevations in Moraga. It is north of Valley Hill Drive, east of Bollinger Canyon Road, a half-mile northeast of the campus of St. Mary's College. The site is west of Las Trampas Peak, 1,827 feet in elevation.

The plan contemplates widening Valley Hill Drive and adding a sidewalk. Also in the works would be concrete walls to hold up slopes and earth moving "to remediate landslide risks."

The plan includes alternatives reducing the number of residential units with the potential of adding partially underground water storage tanks, according to the report.

The report notes concerns already expressed by community members, including:

• Water quality impact to Las Trampas Creek.
• The degree of grading needed and risks of soil erosion.
• The risk of landslides.
• Air quality impacts from construction and operation.
• Increased traffic.

The applicant and owner of the property is David Bruzzone.