University Realty LLC is a subsidiary of Arizona State University’s Enterprise Partners, a non-profit organization. It exists to advance the mission of Arizona State University. University Realty accepts philanthropic gifts of real estate from donors; the land adjacent to Reche Canyon represents one such gift. Revenue generated through real estate activity ultimately benefits the university’s educational priorities, including student scholarships, research, and service programs.
Rancho del Prado is a proposed master-planned community of up to 350 single-family detached homes.
The entire Rancho del Prado project area totals 203 acres, of which over 46%—95 acres— will consist of parks and conservation land. An additional 227 acres to the northeast of the site will remain open space in perpetuity to protect adjacent ridgelines.
In total, 322 acres (75%) of the overall 430 acre land area will be conserved as parks and open space.
Rancho del Prado will embrace and honor this natural setting, protect ridgelines, and minimize visual impacts of any development. The project will also emphasize the natural elements and site features through thoughtful design. Specific environmental impacts must be studied as required by the state’s California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CEQA process is described in detail here.
ASU continues to work closely with the Reche Canyon community to determine what improvements are needed in the area and how, through development of Rancho del Prado, those improvements could be provided. In addition to providing important new housing options, Rancho del Prado will also help address many current issues raised by residents of the area, including traffic, public safety, and infrastructure improvements.
A detailed study of traffic impacts resulting from the development of Rancho del Prado is being completed as part of the Environmental Impact Report. In addition to what is required under CEQA, we are concurrently evaluating opportunities for road design features—many suggested by community members—that would provide traffic calming, congestion relief, and improved safety features on Reche Canyon Road. These features will be funded by the project.
We are committed to working with the City and the community to improve traffic conditions on Reche Canyon Road.
For emergency reasons and in accordance with local planning documents developed areas should have at least two points of access rather than dead end; currently both the Crystal Ridge and Prado neighborhoods have only a single point of access to Reche Canyon Road. Rancho del Prado will remedy that issue by creating a looped road connecting the neighborhoods and giving residents two points of access, thus increasing public safety access.
The location of Rancho del Prado requires a defense against wildfire. This is important not only to the future residents of Rancho del Prado but also all of the Reche Canyon area. Rancho del Prado will include:
- A new water reservoir
- Firefighting infrastructure, including a dip station and helipad for firefighting uses
- Potential locations for fire command posts and staging areas
- A substantial defensive fire buffer for the Prado Lane and Crystal Ridge communities created by Rancho del Prado’s focus on fuel modification zones (including fire-resistant landscaping) and other specific standards for increased protection
With a density of 1.72 units per acre, Rancho del Prado is less. Rancho del Prado is Planning Area 10 in the Reche Canyon Specific Plan, which states that “overall densities will be no more than two units per gross acre throughout this area.” The proposed Rancho del Prado plan would allow for a maximum of 350 single-family detached homes on 203 acres of land, yielding a density of approximately 1.72 dwelling units per gross acre—and a 13.7% reduction from the allowed number of units.
Water pressures within the Crystal Ridge and Prado Lane developments will be improved and become more reliable, redundant, and safer from a fire fighting perspective. Domestic service pressures will remain within a consistent operating range.
Significantly—and the existing water system will actually be improved. A 1.5M gallon reservoir will be constructed along with a looped transmission pipeline creating a looped water system between Prado and Crystal Ridge Lanes. This looped system improves water pressure, redundancy, and firefighting capacity for the area. In addition, the Crystal Ridge development would be provided consistent and reliable domestic and emergency service that does not depend on an emergency pump station. This is a vast and necessary improvement.
The City of Colton will provide water service to the project. Rancho Rancho del Prado will construct a 1.5M gallon reservoir that will connect to and upgrade the existing water distribution system so that it is capable of not only meeting the projected water demands and fire flows for the project, but improves the system for the adjacent existing neighborhoods. These upgrades will ensure better domestic service to the residents of Crystal Ridge, Prado Lane, and Rancho del Prado.
We are aware of and have studied the San Jacinto fault zone which runs adjacent to the northern property line. As required in this location along the fault zone, several technical studies have been prepared to verify the location of any known active faults. The geotechnical engineer preparing the evaluation has provided site plan feedback throughout the design of the site plan. Secondary effects of seismic activity are considered unlikely. Development within Rancho del Prado will be required to adhere to industry accepted setbacks from the San Jacinto fault, and all homes would be built in accordance with 2019 California Building Code seismic safety requirements.
The Rancho del Prado Specific Plan provides a mix of single-family detached housing types on various lot sizes. Rancho Del Prado, once fully built-out, will add to and complement the City of Colton’s existing housing stock. The lots are clustered to maximize open space and trail access to the adjacent hills. Proposed lot sizes range in size from 4,250; 5,000; 6,000; and 8,000 square feet. This allows for single-family homes of varying sizes to respond to market conditions and reflect the adjacent and surrounding communities’ neighborhood character. The plan also includes park and open space for residents living in the surrounding area.
Yes. The grading plans are not finalized, but the Rancho del Prado Specific Plan conceptual site plan is consistent with the City of Colton grading guidelines. The grading design prioritizes contoured natural features, ridgelines, and conserved open space. In addition, the grading design will incorporate hillside development best practices and standards while minimizing onsite earth movement. The clustered grading concept builds on the design characteristics of the adjacent developments and retains connections to existing recreational trails and access roads.
The proposed plan is for 350 single-family detached homes. It is worth noting that 350 homes on 203 acres of land is less than the Reche Canyon Specific Plan allows. The existing RCSP specifies a maximum density of 2 units per gross acre, which would translate to 406 units allowed.
Within the project area, those 350 homes will be clustered in two distinct neighborhoods. Rancho del Prado’s project area will also include more than three miles of recreational trails, 8.3 acres of open space and parks and 87 acres of conserved open space. Additionally, a larger 227-acre area of natural open space to the northeast will be conserved in perpetuity to protect the surrounding ridgelines.
No. Loma Linda’s Measure V is concerned about the visual impacts and infrastructure development of the treasured hills in the southern part of the city. However, Rancho del Prado will have no visual impacts on Loma Linda. Intervening hills block the view of Rancho del Prado from greater Loma Linda, and streets and other infrastructure will not connect to the City. Because of this, the architects of Measure V have given their assurance that the development of this project in Colton does not violate the letter nor the spirit of Measure V.
Yes, in fact the proposed Rancho del Prado neighborhood is referenced in the 1991 Reche Canyon Specific Plan. Section 4.2 identifies the Rancho del Prado land as Planning Area 10 and clearly states that it will be subject to its own specific plan at the time of development. That is why University Realty submitted its application for the draft Rancho del Prado Specific Plan to the City of Colton.