El Monte : Old Golf Course Site Rezoned for Dwellings

The City Council has approved a zoning change that paves the way for residential development of the old Twin Lakes Golf Course site, one of the largest pieces of vacant land left in El Monte. The new zoning designation, R-2 (Planned Residential Development), will allow about 400 single-family and condominium units on the 34-acre site, Planning Director Harold Johanson said.

California Domestic Water Co. of Whittier, which has owned the property since the 1890s, has tried for years to have it rezoned for residential use, Johanson said, but its earlier efforts were thwarted by a 1978 referendum that blocked a proposed 700-unit condominium project. The golf course was closed in the 1970s when it became unprofitable to operate.