TO: ARCHITECTURAL AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: JULY 23, 2025
SUBJECT:
Title
ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE PLAN REVIEW #25-A02, FINAL DESIGN REVIEW FOR 55 SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED HOMES ON A 9.58-ACRE SITE AT 2475 FORBES AVENUE (LA PUERTA SCHOOL SITE (APN: 8670-003-900)). APPLICANT - TAYLOR MORRISON
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SUMMARY
On July 9, 2025, Trumark Homes informed Community Development staff that the La Puerta School Site property had been sold to homebuilder, Taylor Morrison. Taylor Morrison independently pursued the acquisition and is moving forward with the project under the same plans and conditions of approval previously granted to Trumark Homes through the Specific Plan and tract map for the site. This design review by Architectural and Preservation Commission is the final public hearing before building permits can be issued and construction can begin.
The La Puerta School Site Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”) and Tentative Tract Map Number 83121 (“TTM”) were approved by the City Council on November 12, 2024. Together the two documents establish a framework for development of a 9.58-acre site located at 2475 Forbes Avenue and further identified as Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) 8670-003-900 (“Project Site”). Taylor Morrison is requesting Architectural and Preservation Commission approval of the site plan, architectural design, landscape plan, lighting plan, and colors and materials for a tract home development consisting of 55 single-family detached homes and associated access, circulation, infrastructure, and landscape improvements. This project will not encroach in or otherwise impact any part of the existing La Puerta Sports Park.
Each of the 55 new homes will be two stories tall and include a two-car garage, driveway, and private yard. The project density is approximately six dwelling units per acre. Six homes will also include attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The 55 residential lots range in size from 4,260 square feet to 8,457 square feet (5,445 square foot average) and will support the four types of single-family homes:
§ Plan 1: 3 or 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two-stories, 2,470 sq-ft total
§ Plan 2: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, two-stories, 3,012 sq-ft total
§ Plan 3: 4 or 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two-stories, 3,293 sq-ft total
§ Plan 4: 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, two-stories, 3,013 sq-ft total
The Project Site is a vacant parcel formerly used as a public school by the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD). Adjacent uses include a parcel to the north owned by Metropolitan Water District that also serves as a branch of the Thompson Creek Trail. The rear yards of homes fronting onto Navarro and Lamar Drives are located to the south. Forbes Avenue is to the east, and the La Puerta Sports Park is located to the west. In 2018, all buildings, structures, and improvements on site were demolished, except for the asphalt paving of the parking lot and playground.
On February 28, 2024, the Architectural and Preservation Commission (APC) reviewed the Specific Plan and associated site plan and provided direction to the applicant. That APC review was advisory as the documents were later reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council for approval along with the certification of the associated environmental review document. This final review of the building designs and landscaping by the APC is the final discretionary review before grading and building permits are issued. The Architectural and Preservation Commission is being asked to find the current plans to be consistent with the Specific Plan and Tract Map and approve the site plan and architectural design by approving the draft resolution (Attachment A).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Architectural and Preservation Commission:
A. Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA APPROVING ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE PLAN REVIEW #25-A02, FINAL DESIGN REVIEW FOR 55 SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED HOMES ON A 9.58-ACRE SITE AT 2475 FORBES AVENUE (LA PUERTA SCHOOL SITE (APN: 8670-003-900)). APPLICANT - TAYLOR MORRISON; and
B. Find this item to be exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there are the following alternatives:
A. Continue the public hearing (preferably to a date certain) and request additional information from City staff or the applicant.
B. Approve the project with minor revisions including direction to modify components of the plan or modify one or more of the conditions of approval.
C. Indicate an intent to disapprove the Project, specifically stating how the findings for approval cannot be made, and continue the public hearing to the September 10, 2025 meeting for approval of a denial resolution.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The applicant, Taylor Morrison, inclusive of funds and deposits already made by the previous owner (Trumark Homes), is responsible for all costs associated with the City’s review of this project. This includes the costs of all City staff, City Attorney, and consultant time billed to this project.
ANALYSIS
Background
The Project Site was previously-owned by the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD). The following is a chronology for the site and adjacent La Puerta Sports Park.
§ Prior to 1967 - La Puerta and the surrounding area were used for agricultural purposes.
§ 1967 - CUSD purchased the property for a second middle school after El Roble Intermediate School became overcrowded.
§ 1979 - La Puerta Intermediate School closed. The City entered into a 99-year lease agreement with CUSD for use of the back portion of La Puerta for a sports park.
§ 2013 - CUSD board declared the La Puerta Intermediate School property surplus and held a public auction to sell the vacant school property but not the sports park.
§ 2013 - Brandywine Homes, the highest bidder, proposed a residential development consisting of 74 homes on the same site. After two Claremont Planning Commission preliminary review meetings with the community, Brandywine withdrew its offer.
§ 2015 - CUSD held a second public auction. This time, the highest bidder was Claremont Lincoln University. After conducting several meetings throughout the community, Claremont Lincoln University withdrew its offer.
§ 2017 - CUSD applied for and received a waiver of competitive bidding requirements from the State Board of Education. By waiving these procedures, CUSD was able to solicit requests for proposals and then negotiate terms of a property sale with prospective buyers that were more likely to bring a sales transaction to a successful close, rather than being required to accept the highest conforming bid.
§ 2018 - All buildings and structures on the school site were demolished. The only remaining improvement is an area of asphalt paving, which was associated with the prior school’s parking areas and play courts.
§ 2019 - In June, CUSD Board unanimously approved entering into an agreement with Trumark Homes to purchase the La Puerta School property for $13,058,000.
§ 2020 - In July, Trumark made its initial submittal to the City, which was for 65 homes and 9 ADU’s.
§ 2022 - In January, the EIR process to analyze the Trumark project began (Scoping Meeting held on February 9, 2022) with the project proposed to be 56 homes.
§ 2024 - In September, the FEIR was released for review and formal City review for approval was initiated.
§ October 1, 2024 - The Planning Commission completed its review of the project and voted to recommend approval of the project to the City Council.
§ November 12, 2024 - The City Council certified the FEIR, approved the Specific Plan and Tract Map, and approved payment of fee in-lieu of reserving 15 percent of the homes reserved sale to households qualifying as moderate income.
§ April 2025 - Sale of the property to Trumark Homes closes with CUSD.
§ July 10, 2025 - Trumark Sells the property and associated entitlements to Taylor Morrison.
The following is the list of the discretionary approvals the City has already approved for the Project.
1. Adoption of the La Puerta School Site Specific Plan, which includes the development and design standards (e.g., building height and setback, density, lot size, design guidelines) for development in the project site.
2. Approval of the Tentative Tract Map to subdivide the Project Site into 55 residential lots for individual ownership, and create five lettered lots to be set aside for common area landscaping and access improvements and four lettered lots for internal streets.
3. Certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and adoption of the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21165 and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15050, the City of Claremont is the lead agency responsible for the preparation of the EIR addressing potential impacts associated with the project. The complete DEIR, FEIR, and all associated attachments are available on the City website at: <www.claremontca.gov/Business-Development/Projects/Development-Projects/La-Puerta-Development>
4. Approval for the applicant to satisfy the requirements of the City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (Chapter 16.036 of the Claremont Municipal Code (CMC)) by paying a discretionary fee in-lieu of constructing nine moderate income units within the project.
Adoption of Housing Element
While Trumark’s original development application was pending, the City drafted, circulated, and adopted a State-mandated update to the City of Claremont General Plan Housing Element for the Sixth Cycle Planning Period (2021-2029) (“Housing Element Update”). The City Council’s approval of the Housing Element Update and related implementing actions designated the 9.6-acre Project Site “Specific Plan Required” and rezoned the property to be “Specific Plan Area 16”. This new zoning allows multi-family residential development with a maximum density of 30 units per acre. The Housing Element Update identifies the site as Opportunity Site 39 - La Puerta and anticipates 137 units as a “realistic unit count” for the site. The Housing Element Update also acknowledges that Trumark’s application for a project with fewer units was pending at the time the Housing Element Update was approved, and does not impose a minimum density for the site.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project applicant has submitted several iterations of this project to the City over the last five years. Unit counts have ranged from the current count of 55 homes up to 91 homes. The iteration approved by the City Council contains 55 single-family homes on individual lots, six with ADU’s. No portion of the existing La Puerta Sports Park is included within the project site. The proposal last seen by the Architectural & Preservation Commission was for 56 units; however, the project applicant removed one home to address concerns expressed by this commission and neighbors during the preliminary review of the project on February 28, 2024. The EIR analyzed a project that included 58 units on the site, because the final project is less intense than the analyzed project, no additional review is required.
Specific Plan
The La Puerta School Site Specific Plan (Attachment B) provides development standards (e.g., building height and setback, density, lot size, and design guidelines) for the Project Site. Trumark Homes prepared the Specific Plan in part because there are no existing zoning designations in the City that would allow the proposed lot sizes and configurations. The Specific Plan created customized development standards that align with the current configuration of the Tract Map (Attachment C). The development standards in the Specific Plan are typical for suburban two-story homes, although the setbacks are less than typical for Claremont to accommodate the smaller lot sizes. Approximately half of the Specific Plan consists of detailed set of design for guidelines for streets, landscaping, fences, and four styles of houses that are found in Claremont: American Cottage, California Bungalow, Craftsman, and Spanish. The major components of Specific Plan are described in more detail below.
Development Standards
New development within the Project Site is subject to the development standards in Chapter 2 of the Specific Plan. Table 2.1 (below) lists the basic physical development standards including lot size, setbacks, height limits, open space, and parking requirements. Other standards in this chapter regulate permitted uses, lot configuration, window frame material, mechanical equipment screening, outdoor lighting, and sustainability.
Project Plans and Specific Plan Design Guidelines
The proposed designs are consistent with the design guidelines contained in Chapter 4 of the Specific Plan, which provide the design framework for streetscape, landscape, and buildings to convey a unified and unique community character for the Project Site/Specific Plan Area. They establish a direction to ensure a high-quality and aesthetically cohesive environment.
The requirements in Chapter 4 of the Specific Plan, are intended to achieve the design goal of providing a more compact neighborhood design that borrows from design elements found in Claremont’s existing neighborhoods:
§ Provide pedestrian connectivity through the neighborhood.
§ Orient homes towards Forbes Avenue so as to fuse this new enclave with the existing neighborhood.
§ Provide architecture that minimizes the garage and pushes the living space forward, maximizing the elevation aesthetic.
§ All primary homes shall have private outdoor living space (yards, courtyards, and/or porches are encouraged).
The following architectural styles are included in the Specific Plan and Project Architectural Plans (Attachment D):
§ American Cottage - This style retains the massing and form that is reminiscent of early American heritage but with simpler lines and contemporary details. Cottages found in Claremont commonly exhibit horizontal siding, a porch element, and divided lite windows. Roofs are simple in form, most often accented with gables.
§ California Bungalow - This style includes horizontal lines, ample porches, and lower pitched gable roofs. Common exterior materials include shingles for the roof, and siding and stucco on the walls. Typically, ornamentation is sparse, but wood, brick or stone accents embellish the elevations.
§ California Craftsman - This style is characterized by the rustic texture of building materials, exposed rafter tails at the eaves, porches, vertically proportioned windows, and bold color.
§ Spanish - This style includes the use of “S” or barrel tile roofs, stucco walls, deeply set windows, shorter eaves, arched entries, and porticos.
The following principles guide the architecture to ensure implementation of the Specific Plan:
§ Use architectural elements and details that reinforce the architectural styles.
§ Choose appropriate massing, roof forms, colors and materials to define the architectural styles.
§ Ensure that plans and styles provide a degree of individual identity while being harmonious with each other along the streetscape.
§ Provide a varied and interesting street scene.
Site Design
Architectural elevations contained in the Specific Plan are inspired by the homes found in Claremont’s Village and Historic Claremont zoning districts. Homes in these districts include a mix of Spanish Colonial, Craftsman/Bungalow, American Colonial Revival, and other historically referenced architectural styles. Many of the homes are located on narrow lots and often with two story heights that are very similar to the lot widths and heights found in the La Puerta project. The proposed site plan is intended to be reminiscent of Historic Claremont with its varying lot sizes, narrow lots, landscaped parkways and tree-lined streets. The proposed site plan also includes design features that relate to the less compact surrounding neighborhoods by including the following design features:
§ Pedestrian connectivity through the neighborhood with sidewalks on all streets and a pedestrian connection between the development and the sports park.
§ Homes oriented toward Forbes Avenue are on slightly wider lots to blend with the larger lots located across the street and in surrounding neighborhoods.
§ Architectural designs that minimize visual repetition and the presence of garages by moving roughly half of the garages back behind the living spaces and half to be near the front of the house. This alternating pattern further helps the homes to create a similar visual pattern to existing neighborhoods.
Streetscape Design
The following Specific Plan guidelines are intended to activate the neighborhood streets and provide a strong connection between the homes and the public realm:
§ Orient homes toward the street with clearly defined entries facing the street.
§ Provide a direct pedestrian path between the home and the sidewalk.
§ Design meaningful front porches to enhance the visual streetscape and provides exterior social space for residents.
§ Use low courtyard walls, fences, or living fences (hedges) to delineate between public and semi-private space.
§ When providing functional lighting, fixtures should shine the least obtrusive amount of light but be bright enough for people to perform activities.
Building Form and Massing
The proposed homes are broken down into smaller components to reduce the appearance of one singular mass through a variety of architectural techniques and treatments such as:
§ Variation in front elevations that both physically and visually break the façade into multiple planes.
§ Varied roof forms, pitches, and heights.
§ Changes in materials and color.
§ Clearly defined main entry features that include porches, enhanced windows, and architectural details.
The homes will include an array of massing along the street. The methods to achieve this include:
§ Massing setbacks at the second story, this will also help reduce the appearance of the overall building scale.
§ Varied ground floor setbacks.
§ Porches or low-wall courtyard features to give wall plane variation.
§ Varied massing to accentuate the entry and minimize garage prominence.
§ Varied roof forms and changes in roof planes for various home styles.
Landscaping
The proposed landscape plans (Attachment E) are consistent with Specific Plan requirements for planting of street trees in curb adjacent parkways to provide shade for streets and sidewalks. These landscape elements are intended to enhance this new residential neighborhood through the use of native and naturalized plant materials. The following principles set the design direction of landscaped spaces in the Specific Plan area.
§ In accordance with Chapter 16.131 of the Claremont Municipal Code, low-water use plant materials should be selected to limit irrigation needs and minimize water use.
§ Mediterranean and other local, climate-friendly plants may be used alongside native species.
§ Canopy trees should be provided for shade and enhance building energy efficiency, especially adjacent to south and southwest facing building facades.
Note: There have been a number of recent revisions to the landscape plan in anticipation of the City Council’s adoption of Cal Fire’s latest recommendations for Fire Severity Zone maps that will locate the Project Site in the High Fire Severity Zone. See below for additional information. While a formal fuel modification plan has not yet been required. The City and the applicant have modified the landscape plans in anticipation of the new requirements.
Density
The Specific Plan allows residential development at up to 6.0 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). With a permitted density of 6.0 du/ac, development on the 9.58-acre Project Area could result in a development potential of 58 single-family homes (6.0 multiplied by 9.58 equals 58). The number of units approved in the Tract Map is 55.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)
The Specific Plan also allows for the development of accessory dwelling units (ADU). The approved Tract Map provides for the construction of six (6) ADUs with the initial construction of the project. These units are placed on the largest lots and those on corners where ADU’s can be most readily accommodated.
Vehicular Access, Circulation, and Parking
Vehicular access to the Project is provided via a stop-sign-controlled entry drive along Forbes Avenue that feeds into a looped interior private street. The private street will provide direct access to the driveways of each single-family home, except for any homes fronting onto and taking direct access off Forbes Avenue, which is an existing public street, and two private alleyways that access three lots at the northwest corner of the development and two lots at the northeast corner of the looped private street. All vehicular access and circulation improvements will be designed and constructed to City standards. The private streets and parkways will be maintained by the project’s homeowner’s association (HOA).
Parking for residents and visitors will be provided in accordance with the parking requirements of the Specific Plan. All homes include attached two-car garages accessed via private driveways. Residents and guests can park on the private driveways and on the internal private street. Public parking along Forbes Avenue, a public street, is also permitted during daytime hours; however, overnight parking on Claremont public streets is restricted to three nights per month per vehicle with a secured permit through the Claremont Police Department.
Pedestrian Access and Circulation
The existing public sidewalk along the Forbes Avenue project frontage will remain in place or be reconstructed. The public sidewalk will connect to sidewalks along the internal private street and to the existing Thompson Creek Trail, which abuts the northern boundary of the Project Site. A pedestrian connection through a small pocket park at the southwest corner of the Project Site will also provide a pedestrian link to the sports park; however, this is not a permanent public access easement. This access could be modified, restricted, or eliminated in the future if determined necessary or desirable by the HOA for the project.
Tentative Tract Map
Although the development of up to 58 single-family homes was analyzed in the EIR, the approved tentative tract map subdivides the Project Site into 55 residential lots for individual ownership (Attachment C). The tentative tract map also includes the creation of five lettered lots, which are to be set aside for common area landscaping and access improvements, and four lettered lots for internal streets.
The tentative tract map also creates a separate legal lot for the adjacent La Puerta Sports Park. The La Puerta Sports Park area and Project Site are currently split between two existing legal parcels, although the parcels appear as a single parcel on the Assessor’s Parcel Map for tax reporting purposes (Assessor Parcel No. 8670-003-900) at 19.96 acres in size. The new separate legal lot for the La Puerta Sports Park will continue to be owned by CUSD and leased to and operated by the City.
Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
The City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) (CMC Chapter 16.036) applies to the project. For this project, that could have required reserving 9 units for sales to moderate and low-income households at a subsidy of approximately $850,000 per unit. Rather than providing this large windfall to a relatively small number of households, Trumark requested and was granted approval by the City Council payment of in-lieu fees rather than providing the required number of affordable units.
2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map Update
In March of this year, Cal Fire released a new set of fire hazard severity zone maps that included the City of Claremont. The previous map did not include the Project Site. It instead stopped immediately west of the sports park site and north of the site above the DWP parcel to the north.
This latest map now includes all portions of the Project Site in the Very High, High and Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones. See Figure 1 below for more information.
Figure 1
The City Council is scheduled to review and adopt the latest maps at their July 22, 2025 meeting. If adopted, the maps would become effective on October 9, 2025. Because building permits are not expected to be issued by that time, the new project is being designed to meet the new, more stringent codes that apply in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. This includes compliance with Chapter 7A of the California Residential Building Code.
Fire Safe Design Requirements for the Project
To meet the requirements of the fire zone building code, the project architect has indicated that the following fire safety enhancements will be required to be included in the designs of all new residences:
• Fire resistant roof sheeting (72-pound cap sheets) on roof and 36” wide sheeting at valleys.
• Curved tile roofing must include birdstops at eaves and mortar at hip and ridge caps.
• Fire resistant roof vents (low-profile, baffles, etc).
• All vents screened with 1/16” minimum and 1/8” maximum metal mesh.
• Siding should be James Hardie (fire rated). Non-rated manufacturers will require type ‘x’ exterior gypsum sheathing under siding.
• Exposed wood must be heavy timber dimensions or fire treated wood.
• Roof eaves require protection at exposed underside: fire treated wood, or enclosed eaves with stucco, type ‘x’ gypsum, or Hardie board.
• Windows must include fire rated glazing. This also applies to doors and garage doors with glazing.
• Exterior decks to be coated with Pli-Dek, a manufacturer of deck coating with fire testing, or other fire rated alternative.
• While not a fire zone enhancement, it should be noted that all of the new homes in the tract will be equipped with fire sprinklers.
In addition to the above-described building material and design upgrades to the structures, the project is also likely to be required to develop a fuel modification plan for approval by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD). This plan will apply to the entire site and will likely result in the following design changes to the project landscape:
• No storage of wood or other combustible materials within 5 feet of the home’s exterior.
• No landscaping within 5 feet of the homes. LACFD has not been strictly enforcing this is the past, but are likely to enforce it more forcefully moving forward due to the recent fires in Alta Dena, Malibu, and Santa Monica.
• Planting plans that are consistent with the Fuel Modification Plant Selection and Location Guidelines provided by Cal Fire. (Attachment F). This includes both location of plants, density of plants and types of plants. Generally, large shade trees should be located 30 feet from structures.
Previous Commission Review
On February 28, 2024, the Architectural Commission held a preliminary review of a 56-unit version of this project that included extensive comments from neighbors. The Architectural Commission had five members present and expressed concerns regarding: neighborhood compatibility regarding density and architectural style, Z-lot configurations (except for the interior lots), preference for larger lots, inclusion of a second vehicular entrance, improved connectivity to the trail and sports park, and a request for additional green space and trees. The commission expressed strong concern about the development of Lot 40 on the southwest corner of the development as it was likely to loom over the adjacent homes located directly south of the project.
Architectural detail improvements requested by the Commission included:
• wider eaves for the craftsman design,
• elimination of vinyl fencing,
• fieldstone to replace stacked stone,
• improvements to window styles and materials, and,
• additional architectural home styles for increased variety.
The Minutes from the Commission’s preliminary review at this meeting are Attachment G.
In response to the direction provided by the Commission and staff, the applicant and design team have responded to some, but not all, of the requests. Some of the most significant changes, such as increased lot sizes and elimination of the Z-lots, have been declined by the applicant on the basis that they are not economically viable to the overall project budget. The applicant did remove Lot 40 at the southwest corner of the Project Site based on commission and neighbors’ concerns regarding privacy. Lot 40 has been replaced with a pocket park and enhanced pathway to the sports fields as seen in the landscape plan and site plan for the project. The applicant has also reduced the amount of import fill area on the overall site, increased the width of the lots along Forbes Avenue, and addressed the wider eaves, windows, fencing, and stone request at this point in time.
On October 1, 2024, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposed Specific Plan, Tentative Tract Map, EIR, and MMRP and, after requesting that staff make several minor modifications to the draft approval resolution recommended that the City Council approve the TTM, revised Specific Plan and certify the project EIR. One substantive change made to the Specific Plan as a result of this meeting was to clarify that no natural gas infrastructure would be installed to serve the project and that the homes would be “all-electric”.
CEQA REVIEW
In accordance with the City’s guidelines for implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), City staff, with assistance from PlaceWorks (consultant to the City), completed an Initial Study for a proposed 56-unit development, which has since been reduced to 55 units. An Initial Study is an informational document that evaluates a proposed project’s potential to significantly impact the environment, while also identifying ways to reduce or avoid environmental impacts through mitigation measures. Upon completion of the Initial Study, City staff concluded that there could be significant impacts related to Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Noise, and Mandatory Findings of Significance; however, through the incorporation of mitigation measures, these impacts would be reduced to less than significant levels. Impacts to all other study areas were found to be less than significant. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Program (MMRP) have therefore been prepared.
The 45-day public review period for the Initial Study and Draft EIR commenced on July 26, 2023 and concluded on September 8, 2023. Following the public review period, City staff responded to the comment letters that were received on the Initial Study and Draft EIR and finalized the MMRP. This response and the final MMRP have been incorporated into the Draft EIR to create the Final EIR, dated October 2023, (Attachment H). The revisions made in the Final EIR include revisions to the Biological Resources mitigation measure BIO-1 and BIO-2, in response to Comment A3-5, from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. No revisions were made to any of the environmental topics discussed in the Initial Study and no additional mitigation measures were needed. The revisions made to the Initial Study did not change the conclusion that the project will not have a significant effect on the environment. The Final EIR was fully reviewed at duly noticed public hearing and was certified by the City Council on November 12, 2024.
The Final EIR finds that there is no substantial evidence in the administrative record supporting a fair argument that the project may result in any significant environmental impacts after implementation of the mitigation measures. The City Council also found that the Final EIR and the response to comments contain a complete, objective, and accurate reporting of the environmental impacts associated with the project and reflects the independent judgement and analysis by the City. Therefore, no further analysis is necessary.
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 copy, please contact Pearl Juarez at pjuarez@claremontca.com.
On July 10, 2025, notice of this meeting was mailed to property owners within 700 feet of the boundaries of the Project Site and all properties fronting Forbes Avenue. Notice was also sent to all members included in the interested parties list. A copy of this report has been sent to the applicant, the project architect, and other interested parties.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Brad Johnson Christopher Veirs
Community Development Director Principal Planner
Attachments:
A - Draft Resolution
B - La Puerta School Site Specific Plan
C - Tentative Tract Map No. 83121
D - Architectural Plans for Project, including color and materials boards
E - Landscape Plans for the Project
F - Cal Fire Fuel Modification Plant Selection and Location Guidelines
G - Architectural Commission Minutes of 2/28/24
H - EIR Findings of Fact and Project MMRP