Pulte Homes Cuts The Ribbon On Its New Orinda Subdivision

Patience.

That was the word used over and over at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon for Pulte Homes' new 73-home subdivision on Altarinda Road on the land where John F. Kennedy University once stood.

"I'd like to extend my appreciation to Pulte for hanging in there," said Orinda Mayor Amy Worth.

"It's been a very challenging project," added Steve Kalmbach, president of Pulte's Northern California division. "I'd like to thank the city of Orinda for giving us this opportunity."

The Orinda Grove subdivision began in March 2004 when Pulte purchased the 10-acre site from the Orinda Union School District.

Dan Carroll, Pulte's vice president of land acquisition and entitlement, joked it only took 3,500 days to open the model homes.

The project faced a number of bureaucratic hurdles as well as a crash in the real estate industry.

When finally complete, the subdivision will have 65 single-family homes and eight duplex units. Eight of the residences will be classified as affordable.

The tract will also have two new ballfields and a 7,500-square-foot office for the school district.

Worth praised the project for being within walking distance of downtown, Orinda Village and BART as well as close to Highway 24.

She added the eight affordable units can be purchased by people who work in Orinda such as teachers and public safety officers.

"It's offering a broad range of housing choices for our community," she said.

Pulte held a grand opening on Saturday that hundreds of people attended.

Orinda Grove is one of several housing developments now under construction in Orinda. Over the next five years, more than 300 new homes will be built in the city.