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Monterra®…in the News

THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Unique Homes Magazine - September 2007
by Mark Moffa

When Roger Mills joined his brother's produce company almost 50 years ago, little did he think he would eventually And himself selling plots of land (or $1.8 million. But that's the minimum price for a homesite at Monterra, Mills' development in the rolling hillsides, protected canyons and sunlit meadows of California's Monterey Peninsula.

Monterra is a 1 ,700-acre development four miles from downtown Monterey, high enough that it is rarely visited by the fog that often clings to the coast. Homesites range from 2 to 20 acres, and each of the 168 custom estates will feature 3,500 to 10,000 square feet of livable area. Design guidelines call for architecture that draws on historic Monterey, Spanish, European and Western influences.

The bucolic development did not begin with Mills. Australian investors actually won approval for 283 10-acre homesites from Monterey County. "By the time they finally got (the approval), they had run out of money," Mills says. "Somebody else had the vision, and we just capitalized on it and it came to fruition."

Mills regularly invites the press to his Monterra home for dinner. He is an unassuming man who loves to talk about his grandchildren and Mills Family Farms, the award-winning produce business he still runs with his brother, Basil. "We decided we should have some other business besides the vegetable business," Mills says. "So, when the opportunity came along to purchase Monterra, it certainly had a lot of attraction."

He had more than 2,800 acres under contract. But then Clint Eastwood, owner of 940 adjacent acres for his Tehama development, needed help. He wanted a golf course, but didn't have the land. So, Mills sold him 1,000 acres. In return, Monterra residents now get a social-fitness membership to the Tehama Golf Club, which includes use of a new, state-of-the-art, 4-acre fitness center

Mills' vision for Monterra traCeS to the kinship with the land he developed through his farming background. This relationship is evident in every aspect of Monterra.

"The homes look like they belong there, like they've been there for a long time and they blend into the earth," Mills says truthfully. "It makes for a more restful experience as you drive through ' .. You just get a sense of peace and quiet and begin to relax even before you get home."

Indeed, when driving through Monterra, you feel as if you are in a state park, not a housing development. The homes are expertly integrated into the natural environment, often landscaped with stone unearthed onsite. But the environmentally friendly elements of Monterra extend well beyond architectural styles and landscaping materials.

Deer, quail, wild turkey, rabbits, foxes and bobcats are prevalent at Monterra, and should remain so considering that 85 percent of the development will be open space. Roads were built around landmark trees. Curbs are not present in most areas, because the baby quails can't climb them. And where curbs are required, you can even find a ramp to allow for quail crossings.

Fittingly, Sunset Magazine announced that Monterra will host its 2008 Idea House, celebrating the West's love of the outdoors.

Mills wanes to spend the rest of his life here. "You get up in the morning and you go outside and you smell that fresh country air," he says. "It definitely is a very pleasant experience."

Mills is busy with the produce company and Monterra, yet he still finds time for his daughter and seven grandchildren. "She lives in Monterra now, just a half a mile down the road from me," Mills says of his daughter. "My descendants will be living in Monterra, some of them probably for the eons of time."

He hopes simply that his descendants will remember one thing: 'Take care of the land."

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