Hawarden Hills
(Published in Inland Empire Magazine—October 2004)
Ever since English investors began eyeing the area in the nineteenth century, the Hawarden Hills in Riverside have had a certain cache. To cruise the rolling slopes of Hawarden Drive is to discover a more genteel, pastoral world, dotted with mansions reminiscent of the area’s past. Then, citrus was king, and those who owned the groves could live like kings too.
Development in the area accelerated as the decades rolled on, and continues at fever pitch today. “The growth has been tremendous,” affirms Teri Armstrong Hardke, owner of Armstrong Properties. The exclusive character of the neighborhood has not diminished, either. “In my thirty-year career, I’ve not seen prices as high as they are,” she says. “I think it’s great for our community that we’ve seen prices hit the two-million dollar mark.”
A drive up the hill on Overlook Parkway reveals why. Several newer, high-end developments line the street. Gated entrances hint at the large estate homes hidden within. Indeed, lot sizes here are huge. “Most of that area is what we consider large-lot, estate residential,” says Riverside Principal Planner John Swiecki. “ Lot size averages, you’re talking two to five acres. You can go down to a half acre in selected locations.”
That’s where strategic planning between builders and city officials comes into play. “It’s actually a matter of average density,” says Swiecki. “If you have, say, twenty acres, you could divide it into ten homes, but some of those lots could be down to a half-acre. A lot of times, what they’ll do is cluster and put smaller lots, in exchange for preserving and setting aside open space.” That’s the key for the city planners, who have priorities beyond providing expensive new housing. “Our goal is to try to create an open-space network,” says Swiecki.
They didn’t hatch that vision on their own. “A lot of it has to do with the voters’ will,” says Principal Planner Craig Aaron. The drive toward preservation began with Proposition R in 1979. Then, “In 1987, there was a follow-up initiative, which took away the city council’s ability to issue variances,” Aaron explains. “The reasoning behind that was a desire to protect the hills and arroyos. It’s a topographically unique area.”
Builders can capitalize by cooperating with the city’s agenda. “The city has a density bonus provision,” Swiecki says. “If you do set aside vast open spaces, or do something that’s kind of unique, (the city will) allow a little higher density.”
That mix of sensibilities is all part of the Hawarden Hills ambience, according to Hardke. “It’s an established, mature area combined with new, state-of-the-art building,” she says. “So, it’s really a wonderful blend. You see the 100 year-old Eucalyptus trees, and the landscaping with huge palm trees that give it such a charm. And then there’s the new developments that are filled with state-of-the-art stone and granite interiors.”
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