TO: ARCHITECTURAL AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: JULY 24, 2024
SUBJECT:
Title
FINAL REVIEW OF REVISED CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN FOR THE CLAREMONT COLLEGES EAST CAMPUS, TO BE RENAMED THE ROBERTS CAMPUS EAST SPORTS BOWL - APPLICANT: CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
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SUMMARY
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is requesting final approval of revisions to the previously approved Conceptual Site Plan for the Claremont Colleges East Campus to reflect ownership changes and an updated design. The original plan was reviewed by the Architectural Commission and approved by the City Council in 2016. The approval also included a related Parcel Map, Development Agreement, and Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR). The new plan is slightly less intense than the previous plan and includes renaming the site Roberts Campus East (Revised Project) and the athletic components of the Roberts Campus Sports Bowl (Sports Bowl). The cities of Upland, and Claremont have determined that the appropriate form of environmental review for the Revised Project is an Addendum to the Final EIR, which has been completed to analyze the potential impacts of the revisions to the original project.
The site is bounded on the north by Foothill Boulevard, on the east by Monte Vista Avenue, on the south by Sixth Street/Arrow Route, and on the west by Claremont Boulevard. The Los Angeles/San Bernardino County line runs diagonally through the property from the southwest to the northeast with approximately thirty acres located in the City of Claremont and the remaining forty-five acres located in the City of Upland. The property was previously owned by the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) but has recently been purchased in its entirety by Claremont McKenna College (CMC), which previously was the intended owner of forty-one acres of the East Campus. The seventy-four-acre site is a former rock quarry more recently approved as an inert landfill that CMC is in the process of formally closing.
On April 24, 2024, the Architectural Commission held a preliminary review of the revisions and provided comments to the applicant. These comments focused on the design of a proposed tunnel under Claremont Boulevard and the need to provide handicap-accessible access to all areas of the Sports Bowl complex. Changes to the plans have been made to address those changes and the Addendum to the FEIR has been completed.
The Architectural and Preservation Commission is now being asked to approve the revisions and affirm the updated environmental review. Approval will allow the applicant to move forward to develop the Sports Bowl in compliance with terms and conditions of the previously approved City entitlements as well as the requirements and revised Mitigation Measures of the FEIR and Addendum. The approval is for a Conceptual Site Plan and associated environmental document. If approved, CMC will finalize the design of the various project components and submit more detailed plans for Architectural and Preservation Commission review and approval.
The Sports Bowl is proposed to be located on approximately 66.4 acres of the seventy-four-acre site. No development is proposed for three parcels totaling 7.58 acres located at the south end of the site adjacent to West Arrow Route. This land, approximately seven acres of which is located in Upland, is intended to be left vacant until future uses are identified and approved.
Staff recommends approval of the revised Conceptual Site Plan, as it provides a less intensive use of the land, is more attractive, creates a vastly superior layout that takes better advantage of the site’s topography and mountain views, significantly decreases impermeable surfaces to allow more landscaping and improved stormwater catchment, and includes a vastly improved access plan that includes a pedestrian tunnel linking the Revised Project directly to the CMC Campus.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Architectural Commission:
A. Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING REVISIONS TO THE CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN FOR THE CLAREMONT COLLEGES EAST CAMPUS (NOW REFERRED TO AS THE ROBERTS CAMPUS EAST) TO PROVIDE FOR THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE EAST CAMPUS INTO A SPORTS COMPLEX CONSISTING OF ATHLETIC AND RECREATIONAL FIELDS, SUPPORT FACILITIES, AND PARKING (SPORTS BOWL) (FILE #23-A02); APPLICANT: CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE; and
B. Approve an Addendum to the previously certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH#2010021040) for the Claremont Colleges East Campus project pursuant to Section 21166 of the State Public Resources Code and Sections 15162 and 15164 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there are the following alternatives:
A. Continue discussion of the Conceptual Site Plan for additional information.
B. Recommend the Conceptual Site Plan not be approved and identify specific reasoning to support the negative recommendation.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the City’s review of this project. The costs of City staff, City Attorney, and engineering consultant time spent on this project are charged against a deposit paid by the applicant.
ANALYSIS
Background
CMC submitted applications regarding the proposed revisions to both the City of Claremont and the City of Upland in 2013. Each city has discretionary approval power over the portion of the Revised Project within its jurisdiction; however, the cities agreed that Upland would serve as Lead Agency on the CEQA review as the majority of the development occurs in its jurisdiction. Even with approval of the proposed revisions to the Conceptual Site Plan, each significant component for the Revised Project will still be subject to the review processes of the city in which the development is located. Development that extends into both jurisdictions would be subject to the review processes of both Claremont and Upland. As such, the final design of all significant structures, off-site street improvements, fencing, tunnel, landscaping, and other site improvements located within Claremont will require final design review by the Architectural and Preservation Commission or City Staff, when appropriate.
The primary driver for the revisions plan has been a larger than anticipated gift of funds to CMC for their portion of the original project while the remaining participating institutions have generally lacked the funds to develop their portions of the East Campus within the originally anticipated time frame. Consolidation of ownership into one entity (CMC), has enabled a much more cohesive design, consolidation of parking into a two-level parking structure adjacent to a proposed pedestrian tunnel, and elimination of the hard court elements of the original plan.
The revised concept plan is designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, a globally renowned architecture firm that recently completed the design of the CMC Robert Day Sciences Center now under construction immediately west of Sports Bowl site, across Claremont Boulevard.
Site and Zoning Summary:
Existing Use of Property: Class III landfill in process of being formally closed (Formerly a quarry site)
General Plan Designation: Claremont: Institutional
Upland: Institutional
Zoning: Claremont: Institution Educational (IE)
Upland: Public/Institution (PB/I)
Surrounding Land Uses:
North: Gas station, plant nursery, vacant
Northeast: Business park
Northwest: Gas station, retail commercial
East: Retail and service commercial, residential, groundwater recharge basin
Southeast: Rock and sand recycling
South: Retail commercial, residential
Southwest: CMC buildings and sports facilities
West: College student housing, sports fields, new academic sciences building
Project Description
The Revised Project consists of 50,000 square feet of support buildings, bleachers, sports lighting, and 790 parking spaces, all of which were previously entitled by both Claremont and Upland. Both the original and revised plans have been designed to utilize the existing topography and landforms of the former quarry to minimize cut and fill operations, and take advantage of the natural grade elevations to develop athletic fields, lights, and spectator areas with reduced impacts to surrounding development. The Revised Project has a revised grading plan designed to make better use of the terrain to provide for a more robust stormwater catchment system; one that is integrated throughout the site as opposed to using a single, above-ground percolation basin. The revised Sports Bowl is planned to be developed in two phases, with Phase 1 being the southern half of the site and Phase 2 being the northern half of the site. Fields have been reoriented to be in line with best practices for collegiate athletic fields and to take advantage of mountain views for the site.
The design of the Revised Project consists of a singular design theme applied throughout the complex. The design theme consists of gentle curvilinear forms rendered in natural light tan colors similar to local stone and decomposed granite. The grading of the slopes of the complex is intended to create the sense of an arroyo and blend with the natural environments of the surrounding foothills. Native landscaping is used extensively and includes a mix of sage scrub on the slopes and riparian species at the base of the slopes.
Table 1 below provides a summary of the facilities/improvements contained in both the existing and proposed Conceptual Site Plans:
Table 1
Off-site Improvements
The following off-site improvements are required to be constructed along the four streets adjacent to the site. The timing of these improvements is tied to Development Agreements with the Cities of Claremont and Upland. These improvements include:
§ Foothill Boulevard: CMC work with Upland to complete improvements along the Upland portion of the site to match the improvements completed on the Claremont portion of the street in 2019-20.
§ Claremont Boulevard: CMC and City of Claremont will complete improvements that will include Class 4 “protected” bicycle lanes, ladder-style crosswalks, and extended “bulbed-out corner plantings” to improve pedestrian safety along with additional landscaping and improved sidewalks.
§ Monte Vista Avenue: CMC will provide sidewalk, parkway landscaping, street trees, streetlights, perimeter fencing (where appropriate), island median landscaping, underground utilities, and corner monument signs.
§ Sixth Street/Arrow Route: CMC will provide sidewalk, parkway landscaping, street trees, perimeter fencing, and underground utilities.
Relationship to CMC Master Plan
The CMC Master Plan was approved by the Claremont City Council in 2012 to provide a long-range guide for future improvements and expansion of the CMC campus over thirty years. It is independent of the East Campus Conceptual Plan, which was initiated by the Claremont University Consortium, not CMC. However, the CMC Master Plan does reference forty-one acres of the East Campus and designates the relocation of certain facilities from the main CMC campus to the East Campus.
As noted above, CMC has now purchased the entire East Campus site and plans to develop roughly the same level of facilities and parking as were previously included in the CMC Master Plan despite the increased amount of available land. There are, however, two minor projects that are not currently proposed in the Sports Bowl that are included in the Master Plan; an archery range and an Argentinian paddle tennis court. These are relatively small facilities that may still be constructed on the East Campus or perhaps moved to an alternative location on the main campus. Because the vast majority of the planned facilities are being implemented by the revised Conceptual Site Plan for the Roberts Campus East and Sports Bowl, staff finds that the proposed revisions are consistent with the CMC Master Plan.
A separate EIR was prepared and certified by the City for the 2012 CMC Master Plan. The Architectural Commission reviewed the Draft EIR for the CMC Master Plan and the CMC Master Plan document on January 11, 2011. During that review, members of the Architectural Commission unanimously voiced their support for the CMC Master Plan including the portion of the Master Plan incorporating a large portion of the East Campus.
Addendum to Final EIR for Project
An Addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Claremont Colleges East Campus (State Clearinghouse Number 2010021040) has been prepared by Environmental Science Consultants (ESA) for the Cities of Upland and Claremont. The City of Upland is the Lead Agency in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), while the City of Claremont is a Responsible Agency. The City of Upland and the City of Claremont originally certified the Final EIR on May 23, 2016, and November 8, 2016, respectively. The Addendum to the Final EIR describes the proposed modifications to the approved project, evaluates the environmental impacts of the revised project, and compares the impacts to those that were addressed in the Final EIR for the approved project. The Addendum to the Final EIR is Attachment C to this report.
Statutory Basis for Addenda
CEQA establishes the type of environmental documentation required when changes to a project occur after an EIR is certified. Specifically, Section 15164(a) of the CEQA Guidelines states that:
“The lead agency or responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously certified EIR if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR have occurred.”
Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines requires a Subsequent EIR when an EIR has been certified or a negative declaration has already been adopted or an EIR has been certified and one or more of the following circumstances exist:
1. Substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects;
2. Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken, which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or
3. New information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous EIR was certified as complete or the negative declaration was adopted, shows any of the following:
a. The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous EIR or negative declaration;
b. Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous EIR;
c. Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible, and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative; or
d. Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed in the previous EIR would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative.
An addendum to an EIR need not be circulated for public review but can be included in or attached to the certified EIR. The decision-making body must consider the addendum with the certified Final EIR prior to making a decision on the Revised Project. For the purposes of the City of Claremont’s review of this Revised Project (Revisions to the Previously-approved Conceptual Site Plan), the Architectural and Preservation Commission is the decision making body.
Areas of Analysis in the Addendum
Prior to preparing the Addendum, ESA conducted ten impact specific analyses, which are listed as Appendices to the Addendum. The appendices include:
A. Air Quality and Health Risk Assumptions and Modeling Data
B. Biological Resources Documentation
C. Cultural Resources Assessment
D. Energy Assumptions and Modeling Data
E. Geotechnical Investigation Report
F. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Assumptions and Modeling
G. Cable Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan Consistency Review
H. Preliminary Hydrology and Hydraulic Report
I. Noise Assumptions and Modeling
J. Transportation Impact Analysis
Each of these ten Appendices can be found on the City of Claremont Website at: https://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/living/development-projects/cmc-east-campus.
Based on these studies and additional professional analysis contained within the document, the Addendum assesses the Revised Project’s potential effects in twenty environmental resource areas:
• Aesthetics
• Agriculture and Forestry Resources
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Cultural Resources
• Energy
• Geology and Soils
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazard and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Mineral Resources
• Noise
• Population and Housing
• Public Services
• Recreation
• Transportation and Traffic
• Tribal Cultural Resources
• Utilities and Service Systems
• Wildfire
Sections 3.1 through 3.20 of the Addendum include an update of the environmental setting on and in the vicinity of the Revised Project site and identify any applicable changes to the environmental conditions that may have occurred since the certification of the Final EIR. In addition, a brief summary of the regulatory setting included in the Final EIR and any substantive revisions to the regulatory setting that have occurred since the certification of the Final EIR. These sections also include the thresholds of significance and a brief summary of the environmental impacts and mitigation measures addressed in the Final EIR as well as the potential environmental impacts associated with the Revised Project. Each section addresses the project-level and cumulative impacts and mitigation measures for both the originally approved project and the revised Project.
Finally, these sections provide a conclusion for each environmental impact of whether (1) the Revised Project includes substantial changes that would require major revisions to the Final EIR due to the involvement of a new significant impact or a substantial increase in the severity of an environmental impact; (2) substantial changes in the circumstances under which the Revised Project is undertaken would require major revisions to the Final EIR due to the involvement of a new significant impact or a substantial increase in the severity of an environmental impact; or (3) new information of substantial importance which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the Final EIR was certified, showing if any of the conditions identified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162(a)(3) exist related to each environmental resource addressed.
Conclusions of the Addendum
The Addendum found that additional analysis was necessary in the areas of:
• Air Quality - due to new Air Quality Management District requirements for construction health risk assessments regarding Diesel Particulate Matter;
• Transportation and Traffic - to address a new requirement to assess project on the basis of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), which was not yet a requirement at the time the original FEIR was drafted as well as to use current traffic counts and updated traffic forecasting information in the vicinity of the project to ensure no new thresholds of significance applied to the Revised Project;
• Energy - to apply new energy code requirements to the Revised Project; and
• Tribal Cultural Resources - which include new consultation requirements that had already been addressed through the response to comments portion of the FEIR.
Even with inclusion of these new areas of analysis, the environmental consultant concluded that the Revised Project did not include substantial changes that require major revisions to the Final EIR due to the involvement of a new significant impact or a substantial increase in the severity of an environmental impact; that there were no substantial changes in the circumstances under which the Revised Project is undertaken that would require major revisions to the Final EIR due to the involvement of a new significant impact or a substantial increase in the severity of an environmental impact; and that no new information of substantial importance which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the Final EIR was certified. The consultant therefore concluded that an Addendum was appropriate.
Notwithstanding the overall conclusion that an Addendum was appropriate, the consultant’s work did identify that there were a number of non-substantive changes in existing conditions on the site, changes in the regulatory setting (Upland Zone Change), completion of a new (more detailed) biological survey, completion of a Revised Geotechnical Report (replaces previous preliminary geotechnical report), the change from traffic analysis utilizing Level of Service (LOS) to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), and changes to the Revised Project’s name. While many of the FEIR’s approved Mitigation Measures are proposed to be revised and some eliminated, no new mitigation measures are necessary as there are no new significant impacts being created by the project revisions. The Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), complete with all proposed revisions indicated in black line format (additions underlined; deletions struck through) is Attachment D to this report.
Preliminary Review by Architectural Commission and Applicant Response
The Architectural Commission conducted a preliminary review of the proposed revisions to the East Campus Conceptual Site Plan on April 24, 2024 and provided direction to the applicant. The following is a summary of each significant request (numbered 1-7) and how each has been addressed by the applicant in the latest plan set.
1. Provide eye-level perspective views of the Project from adjacent streets. The applicant has included some new perspective views near the Ninth Street intersection with Claremont Boulevard toward the Revised Project; however, they do not show details of the proposed built out condition and instead mostly focus on perimeter landscaping within or adjacent to the public right of way. Additional perspectives have been requested by staff, which will be provided during the Commission hearing.
2. Consider whether perimeter fencing is necessary before installing it, but make sure it is included where an unsafe condition exists due to steepness of slopes near public sidewalks. During the meeting, the applicant agreed that fencing design and location should be carefully considered and indicated a preference for installing fencing only when necessary. The latest plan set seems to indicate fencing around the entire perimeter of the site. The plans show options for a tall fence (appears to be five feet) and a lower fence with defensive plantings (appears to be three-and-a-half feet). Both fences are view style fences with vertical pickets constructed of square tubular steel. The fence is approximately ninety percent open and painted in a dark color with a flat finish. This type of fence is reasonably high quality, difficult to climb and widely used in suburban California. Additional fencing plans have been shown for more substantial fencing and gates to control access at vehicular entries and both ends of the pedestrian tunnel.
3. Carefully consider safety of all users of the tunnel under Claremont Boulevard. The applicant has added more detail regarding the design of the tunnel to the Revised Project plans. The revised plans show gates on both ends to control after hours access to the tunnel. The length of the tunnel is shown to be approximately 150 linear feet in length, which is about half the length of a typical block in the Claremont Village.
4. Carefully consider how pedestrians passing through the tunnel will interact with vehicles on the lower level of the parking garage. The applicant has significantly redesigned and added significantly more detail regarding the design of this space, which is now being identified as an arcade as opposed to a part of the parking structure. Circulation in the parking garage has been redesigned to eliminate all vehicular access across this important pedestrian and bicycle link that connects the tunnel to the Sports Bowl via the lower level of the parking garage. Vehicular access across the path is physically obstructed by two rows of bollards and a new concrete stair to the upper level. The arcade design is significantly enhanced by the removal of a twenty-seven-foot-wide by eighty-foot-long section of the upper level of the parking structure to create an immense “skylight” over two thirds of the arcade. This skylight is open to the sky to allow natural light and air into the space as well as expand the defensibility of the space for pedestrians by increasing sight lines and degrees of freedom to help pedestrians avoid potential confrontations with menacing individuals. Finally, the pathway includes enhanced, light-colored paving to connect with and extend the interior appearance of the tunnel and Sports Bowl.
5. Provide public art in the tunnel. No art is currently indicated; however, art can be added in the future by the college if determined suitable for that particular location.
6. Include solar panels were possible. This comment was largely addressed by the project architect during the meeting; who agreed that solar energy production on the site was highly desirable and noted that the project plans identify how panels can be placed on several structures within the plan, but also stated that it was too early to determine the feasibility or final location of photovoltaic panels within the project.
7. Consider how accessibility to and within the project will be provided for individuals with mobility challenges. The plans have been revised to emphasize all accessible pathways within the project as well as vehicular access paths that can be used to further aid access persons with mobility limitations.
The minutes from the April 24, 2024, Architectural Commission meeting are Attachment E.
Basis for Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Architectural Commission support approval of the Revised Project as it represents a substantial improvement to the previously approved Conceptual Site Plan in terms of site organization, field orientation, structure design quality, landscape design quality, pedestrian access, stormwater catchment, and parking proximity to convenient access to the main campuses located west of Claremont Boulevard. The draft approval resolution describes in detail how the Revised Project is in conformity with the City’s development regulations, and General Plan as it is consistent with the applicable review criteria of Claremont Municipal Code Section 16.300.060.
Zoning and Development Standards Conformity: The revised Conceptual Site Plan conforms to the development regulations of the property’s IE (Institutional Educational) zoning and represents a less intensive use of the East Campus site as several of the smaller sports facilities are being removed from the plan in favor of increased walking paths and native plantings.
General Plan Consistency: The revised Conceptual Site Plan is consistent with the property’s Institutional designation as it provides for the development and enhancement of the campus of a private college. The revisions are also consistent with and help achieve the following goals and policies of the City’s General Plan:
• Goal 2-1. Make Claremont a model for the application of sustainable development practices as several of the smaller sports facilities are being removed from the plan and the parking is being consolidated into a two-level parking structure to increase space available for permeable walking paths and native plantings.
• Policy 2-4.1. Encourage the preservation of different types of open spaces as the revised plan includes a more natural design with increased open space and native planted areas. The cohesive and natural concept design will be unique from other open spaces in the City and region.
• Policy 2-4.3. Require creative and attractive open space to be incorporated into development projects, as the revised design is highly creative and designed to be extraordinarily attractive by a renowned design firm.
• Policy 2-9.1. Provide crosswalks and sidewalks along streets that are accessible for people with disabilities and people who are physically challenged as the new street improvements, especially those along Foothill Boulevard and Claremont Boulevard, are designed to meet the City’s new “Complete Streets” policy while also meeting all new accessibility standards for public streets and sidewalks.
• Policy 2-10.2. Make walking comfortable at intersections through traffic-calming, landscaping, and designed crosswalks as the revised Claremont Boulevard improvements include ladder-style crosswalks and bulbed-out intersection planters. In addition, the proposed addition of a pedestrian tunnel is expected to eliminate the need for a majority of the pedestrian trips to cross Claremont Boulevard to access the Sports Bowl.
• Goal 2-12. Create distinctive places throughout Claremont as the unique and iconic design of the revised Conceptual Site Plan will be highly distinctive and consist of a bold and attractive design.
• Policy 2-12.3. Encourage new developments to incorporate drought-tolerant and native landscaping that is pedestrian-friendly, attractive, and consistent with the landscaped character of Claremont as the proposed conceptual landscape plan includes extensive use of native and drought-tolerant plants and increases the area available for native plants by several acres.
• Policy 4-2.5. Provide medians on all major and secondary streets with sufficient right-of-way and use bulb-outs and pedestrian refuge medians where appropriate, as the revised plan incorporates bulb outs on Claremont Boulevard.
• Policy 4-6.2. Require The Claremont Colleges and other institutions to provide parking in a manner that minimizes the impact on adjacent neighborhoods, in that the revised plan relocates a large amount of parking to be closer to the Ninth Street crossing and pedestrian bridge, where it will be adjacent to the Colleges and away from non-college land uses.
Compatibility with Surrounding Uses and Development: The proposed revisions are compatible with surrounding uses, which include college uses to the west, automobile service and commercial to the north, commercial and residential uses to the east, and retail commercial and residential to the south and the plan is a minor revision to an existing plan that reduces the intensity of the development, introduces a tunnel to create a grade separation for a large portion of the pedestrian crossings and reduce traffic disruptions to Claremont Boulevard, and relocates some parking to a partially subterranean parking structure to take advantage of the convenience of the new tunnel. In addition, all future development in the project area is subject to the City’s architectural review to further provide that development would contribute positively to the City’s physical environment.
Internal Circulation: The revised Conceptual Site Plan includes a vast improvement to the internal circulation of the Project by providing a more organized plan for the athletic fields and an intuitive network of circular walkways and roadways that connect all facilities to the primary project entries at Ninth Street and the pedestrian tunnel. In addition, parking has been moved from the center of the Sports Bowl to the parking structure in order to reduce paving as well as pedestrian/vehicle conflicts within the project. The proposed revisions eliminate a planned driveway entrance along Claremont Boulevard because the parking lot footprint has been reduced and another driveway entrance along Arrow Route has been moved to Monte Vista Avenue to provide more direct access to the small parking lot on that side of the project.
Sustainability: The planned revisions greatly reduce the amount of non-permeable surfaces and increase the area available for native landscapes and will incorporate “double piping” so that the project can connect to recycled water services when they become available.
CEQA REVIEW
A Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the original East Campus project (State Clearing House (SCH) #2010021040) was certified on May 23, 2016, by the Upland City Council, acting as Lead Agency. The FEIR analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the East Campus project and determined that, with the implementation of the mitigation measures contained in the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), all identified impacts project could be mitigated to below levels of significance, except for noise impacts to surrounding uses and the project site within the City of Upland, caused by increases in traffic generated noise and operation noise in the City of Upland. Noise impacts in the City of Claremont were determined to be less than significant. A Statement of Overriding Considerations, also adopted by the Upland City Council on May 23, 2016, found that the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the project outweighed the identified potential significant and unavoidable impacts of the project. The Claremont City Council, acting as a Responsible Agency, adopted the City of Upland’s Statement of Overriding Considerations, the FEIR, and associated MMRP on November 8, 2016. The adopted MMRP includes all feasible mitigations to reduce potential impacts from the Project as required by Public Resources Code Section 20181.6.
To address the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it pertains to the proposed revisions to the original Conceptual Site Plan, the applicant worked with both the City of Upland and City of Claremont to determine the appropriate approach to analyze the changes. Ten separate technical studies were completed and reviewed by each City. This process resulted in a determination that an Addendum to the previously certified FEIR for the Project was appropriate.
An Addendum to the FEIR (SCH#2010021040) has been prepared by Environmental Science Consultants (ESA) for the Cities of Upland and Claremont pursuant to CEQA (Title 14, Sections 15162 and 15164) as the minor changes included within the Proposed Project will not involve new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase of the severity of significant effects already identified in the certified FEIR, Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program adopted in 2016. The Revised Project consists of minor modifications to the previously approved Conceptual Site Plan that constitutes minor changes as they do not modify the type of uses, increase density or intensity, create new or increased environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated, or result in health and safety violations. As analyzed in the Addendum, the proposed Revised Project will not result in any new or substantially more severe environmental impacts, and thus does not require a subsequent or supplemental EIR.
The Addendum (without Appendices) and revised MMRP for the Project are Attachments C and D respectively. The certified FEIR, and all Appendices to the Addendum are available on the City’s Website at: <https://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/government/departments-divisions/planning-division/ceqa-documents>.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a paper copy, please contact Anne Bennett at ABennett@ci.claremont.ca.us.
Additionally, notice of this review was sent to all property owners located within 300- feet of the subject property on Thursday, July 18, 2024. The Conceptual Site Plan, FEIR Addendum, MMRP and supporting documents for the project are available for public review on the City website. Hard copies of these documents can be made available, with advance notice, at the Planning Division counter at City Hall.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Brad Johnson Christopher Veirs
Community Development Director Principal Planner
Attachments:
A - Resolution Approving the Revised Conceptual Site Plan and Addendum to the EIR
B - Revised Conceptual Site Plan and Related Drawings
C - Addendum to the East Campus FEIR (without Appendices)
D - Revised Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP)
E - Minutes from April 24, 2024, Architectural Commission Meeting