TO: ARCHITECTURAL AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: FEBRUARY 11, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE PLAN REVIEW #25-A05, REVIEW OF A TWO-STORY ADDITION, BASEMENT ADDITION, AND RENOVATION TO A ONE-STORY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 1155 HARVARD AVENUE. APPLICANT - THE TUCKER SCHOEMAN VENTURE
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SUMMARY
The applicant, The Tucker Schoeman Venture, has requested review of the site plan, architectural design, and conceptual floor plans for a two-story addition, basement addition, and renovation to the primary residence at 1155 Harvard Avenue.
The residence is located on the southwest corner of Harvard Avenue and 12th Street within the Historic Claremont 7,500 zoning district. The existing 1,715-square-foot residence will increase to 2,857 square feet and will increase the height from 16’-6” to 22’. The project includes a 223-square-foot first floor addition that expands and links the existing garage to the main house, a second-story addition of 450 square feet, and a new 628-square-foot basement. The overall architectural style is contemporary but designed to harmonize with the post-war minimal ranch design of the original home.
Staff believes that the proposed design of the building is consistent with the Claremont Municipal Code (CMC), General Plan, and Draft City Wide Design Guidelines, and that all the required architectural and site plan review criteria can be met.
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-A05, FOR A TWO-STORY ADDITION, BASEMENT ADDITION, AND RENOVATION TO THE SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 1155 HARVARD AVENUE - APPLICANT: THE TUCKER SCHOEMAN VENTURE; and
B. Find this item is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the staff recommendation, there are the following alternatives:
A. Continue the item for additional information.
B. Approve the project with additional or revised Conditions of Approval.
C. Express an intent to deny the proposal in its entirety, specifically identifying the findings of Section 16.300.060.A of the Claremont Municipal Code that cannot be met, and continue the item to February 25, 2026, for adoption of a denial resolution.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the City’s review of this project. The costs of City staff time spent on this project are charged against a deposit paid by the applicant.
ANALYSIS
Background
Pursuant to the Claremont Municipal Code (CMC), exterior modifications to existing residential development in the Historic Claremont District require review and approval by the Architectural and Preservation Commission when the Director of Community Development determines that the modifications could have a substantial adverse visual impact as viewed from the public right-of-way or adjacent properties, impinge on the privacy of developments in the immediate area, and/or result in development incompatible with the architectural character of the developments in the surrounding area. Second story additions to single story structures are of particular concern and warrant Commission review.
The intent of the Historic Claremont 7,500 (HC 7,500) zoning district is to preserve and protect the single-family residential character and the historic and architectural integrity of the district while allowing for sensitive and compatible alterations, additions, and infill development. The character-defining features of the area, including scale, density, setbacks, development patterns, architecture, workmanship, materials, and landscape, must be maintained, and new additions should be sensitive to existing design patterns and scale.
The project is located on the southwest corner of Harvard Avenue and 12th Street. The 1,076 square foot primary residence was built in 1948 with a 480 square foot detached garage.
In addition to this design review, the applicant has requested approval of a Minor Exception Permit (MEP) to permit an increase in the maximum lot coverage permitted from 35% (1,750 square feet) to 38.8% (1,938 square feet). However, MEPs are a staff-level review project and are not included as part of the Architectural and Preservation Commission’s review responsibilities. City staff will review this request in accordance with the requirements found in Claremont Municipal Code Chapter 16.312.
Project Description
The project includes the following:
First Floor Addition
The first floor addition is a total of 703 square feet. Of this, 480 square feet is part of the existing garage, which will now collectively be added to the total floor area of the residence as the detached structure will be renovated and integrated into the primary residence. This addition will renovate the existing garage to remain as a two-car garage and will add stairwells to access the proposed second story addition.
Second Floor Addition
The second story addition is 450 square feet and will feature a primary bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, and a balcony facing West 12th Street. The second story addition will increase the maximum height from 16’-6” to 22’ as measured from grade to the roof ridge.
New Basement
The proposed basement will be 628 square feet and will feature a guestroom, bathroom, closet, two light wells, and access to an existing laundry/gym room. The CMC exempts basements, where the finished floor level directly above is less than six feet above grade at any point, from the maximum floor area calculation.
Building Design and Architecture
The architectural styling of the proposed addition and remodel consists of a contemporary design theme with mixed material finishes, offset planes, and large glazing. Specifically, the design features painted horizontal wood siding, long aluminum-clad windows with horizontal gridding, exterior plaster finish, and asphalt shingle roofing. The long, thin windows with flush trim and a dark colored finish lend themselves to a modern aesthetic. The garage door and balcony features painted horizontal wood siding. These features, along with the rectilinear forms with projecting and recessed planes and minimalist design creates a contemporary architectural design.
Staff refers the reader to the project plans (Attachment B), which include color renderings, color elevations, and detail drawings that describe the building’s architecture, materials, and colors.
Staff Comments and Concerns
During the preliminary hearing held on September 24, 2025, the Commission expressed a number of design concerns that are summarized as follows:
A. The massing of the second story addition is too large, partially due to the physical size and partially because of the accentuation created by the wood siding of the bump-out addition.
B. The contemporary architectural design does not fit the neighborhood pattern.
C. The existing fence creates an imposing barrier between the street and the home that isolates the residence from the rest of the neighborhood and feels out of character.
D. The proposed Ipe wood siding, in combination with the existing fence, creates an excessively heavy and modern feel to the addition.
In response to these comments, the applicants have made several changes that Staff finds appropriate. However, Staff believes that the imposing nature of the fence is still a concern, despite the addition of vertical windows/slots into the fence as it remains a significant variance from the neighborhood aesthetic and form, which would benefit from a reduction in height, increased setback, and/or an opening over the driveway to limit the closed-off feel of the existing fence. As discussed during the preliminary hearing, although previously approved through a legal-nonconforming application, the six-foot fence and gate along the north side yard property line are out of character for the neighborhood. Staff believes that this is an opportune time to request modification of the existing fence. Modifications could include either lowering the fence/gate to three feet and/or requiring the fence to be set back further from the sidewalk to allow for a small amount of landscaping buffer. This option has been added as a condition of approval (see Attachment A).
Staff believes the contemporary features of the addition meet the necessary criteria, but to mitigate the stark contrast with the neighborhood, an abatement of the fence would clearly improve the residence’s compatibility with the neighborhood.
CEQA REVIEW
The Architectural and Preservation Commission has determined that the project under review is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 (Class 1) for existing facilities, in that the project entails an 1,153-square-foot addition and 628-square-foot basement to an existing structure that will not result in an increase of more than 10,000 square feet in an area where all public services and facilities are available to allow for maximum development permissible in the General Plan and the project area is not environmentally sensitive. While located in a historic district, the exception contained in Section 15300.2(f) does not apply as the addition has been carefully designed to harmonize with the scale and character of the surrounding historic neighborhood as well as the post war design of the existing home. Therefore, no further environmental review 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 paper copy, please contact Melissa Sanabria at msanabria@claremontca.gov.
Additionally, notice of this preliminary review was sent to all property owners located within 300 feet of the project site on Thursday, January 28, 2026.
Submitted by: Reviewed by:
Brad Johnson Christopher Veirs
Community Development Director City Planner
Prepared by:
Daniel Kim
Assistant Planner
Attachments:
A - Draft Approval Resolution
B - Project Plans
C - APC Meeting Minutes September 24, 2025