BUILDING STARTS ON 37 HOMES; SHADOW PINES PROJECT CUT.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Residents in the Shadow Pines area can expect construction to continue in their neighborhood for several months while Colmer Development Co. builds 37 more homes that should be completed in September.

The project, on a 30-acre plot with 19 acres left as open space, was approved by the city in June 1995. And it is much smaller than the original proposal for the property, near Delphinium and Narcissus Crest avenues.

In 1991, a developer proposed an 86-home project that stirred controversy because he planned to remove 81 oaks and build on a ridgeline that runs through the property, said Jeff Hogan of the city Planning Department.

Because of the uproar, the project never was built and the property was sold, Hogan said.

``That major ridgeline won't be built on'' with the current project, Hogan said.

Still, neighbors are concerned that the new homes will affect the beauty of the hills, a popular outdoor area filled with wildlife, said resident Michael Bowen.

``Common sense tells you, why tear up the hillside?'' Bowen said.

Some in the area did not know about the project until they received notices that the developer is seeking to build four more homes on an adjacent property, Bowen said. When they investigated, they found that the area already was being graded for construction, he said.

Hogan said the city provided all notification required by law for the larger project. The Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on the additional homes Tuesday.

Wayne Colmer, president of Colmer Development, said he bought the 30 acres about a year ago with the approvals for the 37 homes already in place. He purchased an additional 18 acres, and plans to build the four homes on just one of the acres. The rest of the land will be left as open space, he said.

``Most of the property that's open space is hillside. It's steep terrain,'' Colmer said. ``The land will be given to some of the homeowners as part of their back yards. We offered it to the city, but they didn't want it.''

The city's Parks Department turned down the project because it was not considered ideal park property, Hogan said. The land would be costly to maintain and too steep to provide options, he said.

But Hogan pointed out that neighbors still will have much of the view intact.

``It's 50 acres and only some of it is being developed,'' Hogan said. ``The land in open space can't be developed. There will be a condition in there where you couldn't build there even if you wanted to.''

The new homes will be from 1,550 to 2,100 square feet in area and will sit on 6,000-square-foot lots. Prices will start at $180,000.