Preliminary permits have been filed for a new cul-de-sac on Thorndale Drive in the Forestland neighborhood of Oakland, Alameda County. The proposal, named Bonnington Court, looks to add ten homes to a hillside property surrounded by eucalyptus trees. Mehdi Shafiei and Mahat Marashi are listed as the project applicants.
Bonnington Court plan, illustration by King Engineering
Plans for the Bonnington Court subdivision follow the existing tract map. The ten homes will cover lots ranging in size from 8,000 to over 12,000 square feet, with the largest parcel covering 18,700 square feet. Five lots will have steep slopes on the eastern edge.
Information about the project architect and potential design is not specified. Many of the houses built in the Oakland Hills feature vernacular wood-frame architecture with Spanish Revival, farmhouse, or modern design features.
Bonnington Court site outlined approximately by YIMBY, image via Alameda County Assessor’s Office
The 2.72-acre property is located along Thorndale Drive, near Thornhill Drive and Skyline Boulevard. The owner is listed as an El Sobrante-based family trust. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I’d like to see all new construction banned in the hills. This just encourages more driving and inefficient living.
Where should people live? Can’t build here, can’t build high there, can’t do this, can’t do that. Isn’t that’s why ppl gotta commute from Tracy, Stockton, Fairfield to core Bay?
Suburban sprawl can’t fix the housing crisis without consuming vast amounts of greenspace because it’s too inefficient. This project requires building an entirely new street just for a measly 10 units, whereas a single infill apartment/condo building with the same floor area could support hundreds of units without destroying any greenspace and while being closer to where people actually work and shop.
Upzone areas that have transit access or where transit access can be easily added. Building in the hills, and for that matter, Tracy, only adds cars to the road. We’re on this path of making problems that we know are problems worse by building low density and destroying what remains of our open space.
For the love of God, please stop building cul-de-sacs. They’re just government funded driveways that only serve the houses that live on them and almost never provide enough tax revenue to pay for their own long term maintenance.
Glad that see them finally building some low density housing for those that don’t want to live in super dense stacked boxes.