TO: TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
FROM: MARIA B. TIPPING, CITY ENGINEER
DATE: OCTOBER 22, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
CLAREMONT BOULEVARD (FOOTHILL BOULEVARD TO SIXTH STREET) COMPLETE STREETS IMPROVEMENTS - UPDATE
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SUMMARY
Staff has been working with Claremont McKenna College (CMC) since 2020 to incorporate Complete Streets features along the east side of Claremont Boulevard from Foothill Boulevard to Sixth Street and along the west side of the corridor from Sixth to Ninth Streets. The segment on the west side of Claremont Boulevard between Foothill Boulevard and Ninth Street, which fronts Pitzer College, lies outside of CMC’s jurisdiction and is therefore not included in CMC’s required public improvements. To ensure consistency and safety, the City has committed to design and implement Complete Streets improvements and associated amenities in this area, to be coordinated with CMC’s project.
Staff provided updates to the Commission in September 2025 and again in March of this year. At tonight’s meeting, staff is presenting a status update on construction of the Complete Streets improvements on Claremont Boulevard between Foothill Boulevard and Sixth Street, as well as the adjacent private development improvements. Staff will also provide an overview of the City’s upcoming Capital Improvement Project (CIP) that will complete the remaining portion of the corridor.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Traffic and Transportation Commission receive and file the Claremont Boulevard (Foothill Boulevard to Sixth Street) Complete Streets Improvements report.
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
CMC is funding the design and implementation of all complete streets improvements and ancillary work on the east side of Claremont Boulevard from Foothill Boulevard to Sixth Street and the west side of Claremont Boulevard from Ninth to Sixth Streets. The northwest section of Claremont Boulevard, Ninth Street to Foothill Boulevard, fronts Pitzer College. Since there isn’t a development project proposed by Pitzer, there is no mechanism to require that they fund public improvements fronting their campus on Claremont Boulevard.
To ensure that complete streets improvements along the Claremont Boulevard corridor are completed, the City has allocated funds for the design and construction of the improvements on the northwest section. This Capital Improvement Project is currently being advertised and bids will be closing on October 26, 2026. The Engineer’s Estimate is $635,000 for the hardscape improvements excluding the landscaping and irrigation improvements. The Engineering Division will be working with Community Services staff to install landscaping and irrigation improvements. Claremont McKenna College has agreed to provide the design for the median improvements between Ninth Street and Foothill Boulevard to be consistent with the improvements between Sixth Street and Ninth Street.
The cost associated with the preparation of this staff report is estimated at $1,846 and is included in the operating budget of the Community Development Department.
ANALYSIS
Claremont Boulevard, between Foothill Boulevard and Sixth Street, has been under construction since 2025 as part of Claremont McKenna College’s (CMC’s) required complete streets improvements. These improvements were originally presented to the Commission in September 2025, with an update provided in March 2026. At tonight’s meeting, staff will provide a status update on the ongoing construction along Claremont Boulevard, including the City’s upcoming Capital Improvement Project (CIP).
In addition to the required public improvements summarized below, CMC has constructed several private improvements. These include a pedestrian arcade beneath Claremont Boulevard between Ninth and Sixth Streets, a parking structure within the Sports Bowl complex, and utility upgrades to support new facilities, including undergrounding utilities on the east side of Claremont Boulevard. The pedestrian arcade and parking structure are now fully constructed; only landscaping at the arcade’s west entrance remains. A new surface-level parking lot north of the parking structure is currently under construction.
Street improvements between Sixth Street and Ninth Street are nearing completion. Work completed to date includes protected medians, utility laterals, undergrounding of electrical lines, street grinding and resurfacing, accessible sidewalk improvements, tree removals, and center median regrading. To support the regrading of the center median, the City evaluated the long-term sustainability of the existing raised median design and determined that the current configuration was contributing to ongoing maintenance and safety concerns. The elevated medians caused irrigation inefficiencies, visibility issues, and significant pavement damage due to tree-root uplift. Because the existing trees were planted on raised mounds and included species not suitable for narrow medians, their removal was required in order to construct a safer and more sustainable depressed-median design. Remaining items include final landscaping and installation of streetlights which are anticipated to be completed later this year. The new traffic signal at Ninth Street and accessible ramps have been installed; however, the signal is operating in red flash until all project components are complete. Traffic control remains in place due to the pending streetlights, undergrounding and outstanding improvements north of Ninth Street.
Between Ninth Street and Foothill Boulevard, CMC has completed protected medians, utility laterals, and accessible sidewalk improvements. Undergrounding of electrical lines remains pending due to required coordination with Southern California Edison (SCE). Once SCE releases the construction drawings, CMC will coordinate with the City to complete necessary street trenching. As a result of the outstanding SCE work, pavement grinding and resurfacing, as well as removal of existing power poles, have not yet occurred. The trees within the median between Ninth Street and Foothill Boulevard will also be removed during the next construction phase. Streetlight foundations are in place, with installation of the streetlights expected later this year.
Staff will continue coordinating with CMC on construction activities between Ninth Street and Foothill Boulevard. The City’s CIP for this segment will include complete streets improvements, a bus shelter with bus pad, replacement streetlight mast arms, accessibility improvements and landscaping enhancements.
The CIP was advertised on September 24, with bid opening scheduled for October 26 and a potential contract award for the November 10 City Council Meeting. Construction schedules will be finalized in coordination with the selected contractor.
Summary of Proposed Improvements
Complete Streets
1. Class IV Bike Lanes
2. Green Bike Lanes where appropriate
3. Reduced travel lane width from 12 feet to 11 feet
4. Parkways with storm water capturing features to meet MS4
5. New accessible sidewalks
6. Traffic Signal at Ninth Street
a. Pedestrian Countdown Heads
b. Bulbouts
c. American with Disabilities Act (ADA) features
d. Handicap ramps
e. Accessible Push Buttons
f. Green bike boxes
g. Extended left turn pockets
h. Ladder Crosswalks
i. Bicycle/vehicle video detection
Additional Improvements
1. Pedestrian arcade under Claremont Boulevard between Ninth and Sixth Streets
2. Utility Installations to serve the Sports Bowl
a. Water laterals
b. SCE connections
c. Undergrounding of electrical lines along the east side of Claremont Boulevard
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 2024 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 Revised Conceptual Site Plan was appropriate.
An Addendum to the FEIR (SCH#2010021040) was 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 includes minor modifications to the previously approved Conceptual Site Plan, which constitute 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 Cities of Upland and Claremont found that the Revised Concept Plan will not result in any new or substantially more severe environmental impacts and thus does not require a subsequent or supplemental EIR. Because the final design for the Phase 1 Improvements for the Roberts East Campus Sports Bowl, including the addition of the pedestrian tunnel and parking structure, are fully consistent with the Revised Concept Plan as analyzed in the FEIR and Addendum to the FEIR, no additional environmental review is required at this time.
The certified FEIR, and all Appendices to the Addendum are available on the City’s Website.
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 Commission Secretary, Nadia Ramirez at nramirez@claremontca.gov
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Maria B. Tipping, P.E. Jasmin Hurtado, P.E.
City Engineer Associate Engineer