by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

The unexpected absence of Claremont City Council member Jed Leano on Tuesday caused it to delay discussion of a tentative tract map for a new 70-unit townhome project in south Claremont, voting 4-0 on a motion to revisit it at its June 10 meeting.

The council still heard reports on the proposed development by Irvine-based developers City Ventures from Claremont Principal Planner Chris Veirs and City Ventures Development Director Patrick Chien.

City Ventures is proposing to build 70 Spanish-style townhome condominiums at 840 S. Indian Hill Blvd., just south of Motel 6, where decommissioned tennis courts, a small clubhouse, and open space remain along American Avenue. The units would range in size from 1,155 to 1,639 square feet, and come in two-, three-, and four-bedroom plans. Per the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance, seven units would be reserved for moderate income earners, three for low-income. The majority of the development’s three-story townhomes would reach a maximum height of 34 feet, 7 inches. Following input on privacy from neighbors along Drake Avenue, units within 57 feet of residences with eastern-facing backyards would be two stories high, or about 24 feet, according to a staff report.

Residents who live nearby raised concerns, including car access to and from the development only being along an already congested American Avenue, the project’s overall parking supply being insufficient, fire safety, and park accessibility.

“I really hope you guys actually do the right thing and reject this until they address all these concerns from the community,” said south Claremont resident Bryan Trunik.

Residents argued the proposed project’s 151 dedicated parking spaces are not sufficient to accommodate its tenants. Veirs responded by saying that amount is enough by state density bonus law standards, but noting it still falls short of Claremont’s own zoning requirements.

Another point of contention for residents was that a traffic impact report appears to downplay concerns.

“Generally speaking, we did a lot of traffic work on this project,” Veirs said, a comment that was met with audible groans from the public. “We can talk about that in detail with you, but in terms of doing traffic studies, it meets the city’s guidelines.”

City Attorney Alisha Patterson echoed Veirs, saying despite testimony from neighbors about congestion and the dangers of the American Avenue/Indian Hill intersection, the traffic reports submitted not only met Claremont’s general plan standards, but also California Environmental Quality Act vehicle miles traveled screening requirements.

The staff report also noted the project will not be subject to a California Environmental Quality Act review, stating, “…pursuant to Section 15332 as it is an urban in-fill project on less than five acres of land (Class 32) and none of the exceptions to using this Categorical Exemption listed in CEQA Section 15300.2 apply to this project.”

City Ventures proposed a 65-unit project in 2023, according to Veirs. Claremont’s architectural commission reviewed it and delivered revision recommendations. The developer incorporated some, but not all of the recommended changes.

After the Motel 6 property was rezoned from “commercial freeway” to “medium density residential” in 2024 and deemed a housing element opportunity site as part of the city’s sixth-cycle housing element update, City Ventures expressed renewed interest.

The new 70-unit proposal is said to incorporate much of the architectural commission’s previous recommendations, according to the staff report.

The next City Council meeting is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 10 at 225 W. Second St., Claremont.