The New Patterson Ranch project is a developmental proposal, currently being reviewed by the City of Fremont, concerning the Ardenwood area next to Coyote Hills Regional Park. It will provide 878 new housing units, two churches, an elementary school, and an active sports park on the undeveloped lands of Patterson Ranch. 

The land, originally used for agriculture, comes from the Patterson family. However, agriculture has not been a lucrative pursuit recently, and the family has decided to invest in residential development. This developmental property is unique because it is extremely close to the protected Coyote Hills Regional Park and also contains portions of wetlands, flora, and fauna which are important to the environment. Because this area of land is the last open area available for development in Fremont, the Patterson Ranch development is highly controversial.

After this project was proposed in October, the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) met on November 18 to discuss this development. They came to the conclusion that the New Patterson Ranch development would have a detrimental impact on the Fremont schools in that area. The additional 878 housing units would also mean approximately 350 new students who would attend the Ardenwood Elementary School, Thornton Junior High School, and American High School. These schools are already overloaded and at their maximum capacity.

The developer offered the FUSD $9 million and sufficient land to build a new school to hold these incoming students. However, FUSD claims that the $9 million amount offered cannot fulfill $20 million dollars or more needed to build an adequate school for all the students. 

Another problem is that the land offered by the developer for the school is at high risk of liquefaction during an earthquake. In the state of the current economic recession, neither the state nor the district has enough money to build the new classrooms and provide the other materials required.

However, public comments also included people who were in full support of the development. “We feel the plan not only meets the rights of the owners, they’ve been very proactive in meeting the needs for the community,” said Josh Roder, a pastor of nearby Morning Star Church. The developer and the city staff are working together to create a functional plan that they will present at a future city council meeting.