The Alhambra Planning Commission this week closed its public hearing on the controversial housing project The Villages at The Alhambra and will move at its next meeting to hear the rebuttal from the developer to the community criticism.

This week there were 42 emailed comments and one phone comment, the majority of them against the project. Although the oral portion of the public comment is now closed, anyone wishing to submit a written comment for the record can email it to the city for inclusion in the commission’s review.

The public comment volume was so high it created a filibuster of sorts, drawing out the hearing for weeks. Now, the item will move to commission debate.

The item is being continued to the next regular meeting, Oct. 5, and is slated to be the only item on the agenda.

The meeting will begin with the applicant – The Ratkovich Company – addressing concerns raised by the community. A team of technical consultants and company representatives will then take technical questions from the commission. Ratkovich Senior Development Manager Megan Moloughney said the presentation is about 45 minutes long.

The planning commission must ultimately decide whether to recommend the City Council approve the project as-is, approve it with conditions and modifications or deny the project.

Because the developer is applying for a major change in land usage, the  City Council must make the final decision on The Villages.