Monterra® - The Pinnacle of the Monterey Peninsula

Monterra®…in the News

Monterra & Tehama

Development and preservation on the Monterey Peninsula.
Executive Traveler Magazine
June 2007

People continue to be drawn here, as much for the area’s scenic attractions as for its eclectic history. With the Santa Lucia Mountains on one side and the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline on the other, there’s no lack of things to do and beautiful sights to see.

THE MONTEREY PENINSULA continues to benefit from the indomitable appeal of California real estate. Monterey has evolved from a community of primarily factory workers, which gained notoriety in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, to a tourist mecca, where visitors are drawn to such sites as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, now a street of souvenir shops housed in former sardine packing plants. Carmel-by-the-Sea, by comparison, was founded as an artists’ colony whose nonconformist residents resisted street numbers and electric lights well into the 20th century. These artists would have delighted in the number of galleries along modern Carmel’s Ocean Avenue, but how would they feel about the couture boutiques?

People continue to be drawn here, as much for the area’s scenic attractions as for its eclectic history. With the Santa Lucia Mountains on one side and the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline on the other, there’s no lack of things to do and beautiful sights to see. Situated right in the middle, and benefiting from the most spectacular views the Peninsula has to offer, are Monterra and Tehama, two private communities promising a casual, California-chic lifestyle amid secluded luxury.

The land that is now Monterra and Tehama was originally owned by an Australian group and sold to the Mills family in the mid- 1990s. The family then sold a third of the land to Clint Eastwood for Tehama, a development he had envisioned 40 years ago. The 4,000 acres that make up Tehama and Monterra encompass meadows, mountains, canyons, and over 150 types of wildflowers.

Monterra is located in the high hillsides of Monterey. More than 100 acres of land have actually been donated to the county for Jack’s Peak Park, the highest point on the Monterey Peninsula. The Monterra community includes 168 home sites ranging from two to 20 acres, with prices starting at $1.5 million. Potential buyers can select from sites with any number of excellent views, including the valley, secluded woods, the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Monterey Bay.

Tehama, from the Native American word for “abundance of land,” is situated on 2,000 acres adjacent to Monterra, 85 percent of which will remain natural, open space. Tehama offers just 90 home sites, ranging in size from four to 17 acres and in price from $1.5 to $4.25 million. On the Tehama side of the development, you will never see a home from the road, which affords owners an increased sense of privacy and seclusion from the more bustling Monterra side.

Purchasing either a Monterra or Tehama home site secures buyers a free social membership at Tehama Golf Clubhouse and Fitness Center (subject to monthly fees). Owners have the use of four acres of swimming pools, tennis courts, and community meeting spaces, as well as the fitness center and 18,000-squarefoot Clubhouse, which was designed by Alan Williams and modeled after Eastwood’s 1928 hacienda-style home. Warner Brothers Studios provided the furniture makers, painters, and prop specialists, and Eastwood’s art director, 89-year-old Henry Bumstead, oversaw the entire project. The Clubhouse includes a pro shop, restaurant, saloon, ballroom, courtyard, and four suites.

The Tehama Golf Club is an exclusive, members-only championship course designed by Jay Moorish. The 18-hole, par-72 course encompasses 6,520 yards set on 2,000 acres. A Golf Membership at Tehama is by invitation only and there are currently just 300 members.

Despite their physical proximity, Tehama and Monterra remain unique properties in a number of ways. Monterra residents have a Monterey address, while Tehama residents have a Carmel address. Monterra is more community-focused, as opposed to Tehama’s allure of privacy and seclusion. Both, however, maintain a strong focus on preserving the natural beauty of the land, and this commitment was rewarded in 1999 with the Golden Bear Award for environmental preservation.

As part of the communities’ efforts to preserve the natural landscape, the Golf Club boasts an underground maintenance facility whose roof is covered with native grasses and range turf. Solar panels are suggested to homebuilders, who can look to the Clubhouse, which uses 240 photovoltaic panels, for inspiration. An organic farm is located in a recycled Eastwood building near the southern entrance and yields certified organic produce yearround. Carmel stone is mined on-site and offered to owners at below-market prices for use in their homes.

Monterra and Tehama also have a self-sustaining water supply. Two water treatment plants are camouflaged in historic red barns. Water is pumped from wells through the ultra-filtration system to the homes, while wastewater is turned into reclaimed water and used as irrigation for the golf course. There are also numerous retention ponds that are used for both the course and native wildlife. Having a private water company is important for builders because it means that Monterra and Tehama are free from county and city restrictions. In California, it may take years of waiting for the proper permits before beginning construction, and even then builders are severely limited as to how many sinks and toilets they may include in a single residence.

Monterra and Tehama also work toward sustainability by preserving native grasses and trees. An on-site native nursery has been growing trees from seeds collected on the property for the past 10 years. These trees will be offered to residents at betterthan- market prices for use in their home landscapes to avoid the introduction of outside pathogens, which may be harmful to indigenous animals and plant life. There are actually more trees than people, meaning Tehama and Monterra are major oxygen exporters.

The Monterey Peninsula promises to remain popular with visitors and would-be residents alike. Monterra and Tehama, however, manage to offer owners a level of privacy and seclusion that is increasingly difficult to find elsewhere on the Peninsula, while maintaining a distinctly Californian emphasis on responsible environmental stewardship.

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