Situated on prime real estate right across from Lafayette, California’s BART station, the Lafayette Hillside Memorial’s white crosses always seemed a bit perilous.
Originally built as a protest against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the memorial has grown to entirely cover a hillside, embrace multiple faiths, and symbolize the resilience of America’s armed forces.
If you’ve taken BART on the yellow line through Lafayette—or you live here in the 925—you’re almost certainly familiar with the Hillside Memorial.
When plans were announced in 2023 to build up to 15 new houses on the hillside near the memorial, many people were concerned that it would mean the end of this iconic Lafayette landmark.
The Memorial was handed over to a non-profit last year. But its ultimate fate still felt up in the air.
This week, the developer behind the new housing project said that they intend to keep the memorial in place. The new homes will be constructed next to the memorial and will feature shared yards, ADUs, and other measures to increase housing density.
The city of Lafayette is facing legal trouble for not building enough housing, and the new project intends to take a step toward correcting that. The Bay Area Telegraph has observed markers being placed near the memorial, showing the physical footprint of the proposed new homes.
The project is not guaranteed to move forward yet, but it’s encouraging to see that this iconic part of Lafayette would be preserved if the houses do move ahead.
Read Next
This development looks beautiful and respectful of the crosses as well. It will provide somewhat lower cost housing than the other projects going in, which seem to all start at $1.5M. Wish they could be built sooner than later!