A Neighborhood with Deep Upland Roots
Sycamore Hills may look like one of Upland’s newest neighborhoods, but its story is connected to the much older landscape around it. Located on the city’s western side, west of Benson Avenue and north of 16th Street, the community reaches toward the Upland–Claremont boundary and sits just south of the 210 Freeway. Streets such as Mountain Shadow Road, Burl Drive, Park View Promenade, Iris Lane, Plan Tree Drive, and Hemlock Lane give the neighborhood its modern identity, while the nearby San Antonio Wash and foothill views connect it to the natural geography that shaped Upland long before today’s homes arrived.
To understand Sycamore Hills, it helps to begin with Upland itself. In 1882, George and William Chaffey established the Ontario Model Colony, transforming portions of the Cucamonga Rancho through irrigation, carefully planned streets, and citrus agriculture. The northern portion of that colony eventually became known as Upland, a name formally adopted when the city incorporated in 1906. Euclid Avenue, with its broad tree-lined median, remains the most visible expression of that early planning tradition.
Sycamore Hills is not a surviving citrus-era village in the way that Old Magnolia or Historic Downtown Upland is. Instead, it represents a later chapter: the conversion of former industrial, quarry, and open land into a mixed-use residential district designed for contemporary Southern California life.
How Sycamore Hills Got Its Name
The name “Sycamore Hills” does not appear to come from a single pioneer, ranch owner, or historic building. Public planning records identify Sycamore Hills as a specific-plan and master-planned development, but they do not point to one person who gave the community its name. In practical terms, the name seems to reflect both the natural setting and the familiar Southern California tradition of naming neighborhoods after trees, hills, washes, and other landscape features.
That choice feels appropriate here. California sycamores are associated with waterways and riparian corridors, and the San Antonio Wash runs near the neighborhood. Sycamores, cottonwoods, willows, and other native trees historically grew along Southern California’s creeks and channels, providing shade and marking the routes where water moved down from the San Gabriel Mountains.
The second half of the name is equally fitting. Sycamore Hills occupies gently rising ground near Upland’s western edge, with the San Gabriel Mountains visible to the north and the terrain gradually opening toward Claremont and the Los Angeles County line. “Sycamore Hills” is therefore less a reference to one landmark than a polished modern name that evokes the area’s trees, elevation, and foothill setting.
From Open and Industrial Land to a Master Plan
The neighborhood’s most important milestone came in 2008, when the City of Upland adopted the Sycamore Hills Specific Plan. The plan envisioned a village-like community with a mixture of housing, commercial space, greenbelts, walkways, and open areas. Rather than creating a collection of isolated subdivisions, planners sought to connect homes with shops, gathering places, and pedestrian routes.
That vision took shape on land with a working past. The broader area included former quarry property associated with Holliday Rock, a longtime Claremont- and Upland-founded aggregate company. Quarrying no longer occurs on the developed portion of Sycamore Hills, but the history remains part of the neighborhood’s identity. In this sense, the community is a classic example of adaptive land use: a former industrial landscape gradually reimagined as a place for homes, shopping, and everyday neighborhood life.
Infrastructure work followed. In 2016, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency approved an extra-territorial sewer-service request connected with the Sycamore Hills development. The request involved property on 16th Street west of Benson Avenue, including commercial buildings that crossed the Upland–Claremont boundary. That detail is easy to overlook, but it shows how unusual the neighborhood’s location can be: Sycamore Hills functions as one community even though parts of the master plan extend across two cities.
Homes, Streets, and the Growth of a Community
The first residential phases brought detached homes and neighborhoods marketed as Westridge at Sycamore Hills. Later phases expanded the housing mix with townhomes and compact detached residences. In 2019, KB Home announced plans for 176 additional units, including two- and three-story townhomes and detached motor-court homes. The larger master plan ultimately called for 321 residential units alongside approximately 78,000 square feet of retail space.
The neighborhood’s street layout reflects that newer planning philosophy. Mountain Shadow Road, Burl Drive, and Park View Promenade serve as internal connections from 16th Street, while smaller streets such as Iris Lane, Plan Tree Drive, and Hemlock Lane create quieter residential pockets. Homes face landscaped corridors, open areas, and shared amenities rather than long blocks of uniform front yards.
In February 2021, KB Home announced the grand opening of Montara at Sycamore Hills, adding another wave of new construction to the community. The development emphasized two-story homes, private outdoor space, and access to the 210 Freeway, nearby employment centers, and regional recreation.
Sycamore Hills Plaza and Everyday Landmarks
The best-known landmark in the neighborhood is Sycamore Hills Plaza at 2153 West Baseline Road. Anchored by Whole Foods Market, the center also includes CVS, Starbucks, Chipotle, Corky’s Restaurant, fitness businesses, and other services. Whole Foods opened in 2017, giving the project a regional draw and making the plaza more than a neighborhood convenience center.
For longtime Upland residents, the plaza represents how the city has changed. Earlier generations went to citrus-packing houses, downtown merchants, and local grocers clustered along older commercial streets. Today, residents can walk or drive to a modern shopping center near their homes, while still remaining close to historic Euclid Avenue, downtown Upland, and the older neighborhoods that preserve the city’s citrus-era architecture.
The nearby 210 Freeway is another defining feature. It brings commuters toward Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley while connecting Sycamore Hills with Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and other Inland Empire communities. The freeway is part of the neighborhood’s convenience, but the community’s open spaces and mountain views help soften its presence.
A Neighborhood Still Writing Its History
Sycamore Hills is young compared with the century-old homes near Euclid Avenue, but it has already experienced the kind of civic discussions that shape established neighborhoods. In 2023, residents raised concerns about proposals involving portions of the community’s 58 acres of designated open space. The debate highlighted how strongly homeowners value the promised green areas, trails, and buffers that helped define the neighborhood from the beginning.
That conversation is part of Sycamore Hills’ heritage now. The neighborhood’s history is not only about construction dates and development phases; it is also about residents deciding what kind of place they want to preserve.
What makes Sycamore Hills special is the way it joins several Upland traditions. It has the city’s familiar foothill backdrop, a respect for trees and open land, easy access to regional roads, and a community-oriented plan that puts homes near shops and shared spaces. It does not pretend to be an old citrus village. Instead, it offers a newer expression of Upland living—one that carries the memory of orchards, washes, quarries, and mountain water into a distinctly modern neighborhood.
- Key places to know: Sycamore Hills Plaza, Park View Promenade, San Antonio Wash, 16th Street, Baseline Road, and the 210 Freeway.
- Historic connection: The neighborhood stands within the broader landscape shaped by the Chaffey brothers, citrus agriculture, irrigation, and Upland’s early growth.
- Local character: New homes, open-space corridors, mountain views, and walkable access to everyday services.