Claremont Real Estate Listings & News

he word “history” comes from the Greek word “historia,” which means “inquiry” or better stated, “knowledge from inquiry.” This is fitting because for a property to receive the designation “historic,” it requires inquiry and documentation.

Whether a property is listed on the local Claremont Register of Structures of Historic or Architectural Merit, the California Register of Historical Resources, or the National Register of Historic Places, they must meet the common criteria all three registers share.

Following a robust discussion, the Claremont City Council settled on a compromise solution for a new grant program to help facilitate the construction of more back houses, commonly known as “ADUs.”

With one unanimous vote the council on Tuesday approved a program that will award $20,000 to homeowners who agree to construct an accessory dwelling unit, or a junior accessory dwelling unit, on their property. The money will be allocated in the form of a forgivable loan which becomes a grant as long as the owner abides by certain conditions, including actually building the unit, living in the property’s main home, and agreeing to rent the ADU for three years to a moderately low-income person or family.

After a spate of recent cultural losses, including the Candlelight Pavilion, Rhino Records, and apparently, The Press, Claremont can finally put one in the win column: the Laemmle Claremont 5 theater will remain open … for now.

“Escrow has been cancelled,” Laemmle Theaters President and CEO Greg Laemmle told the Courier on Monday.

As I write this, light rain falls outside and the diversity of homes within my line of sight is amazing. A small, one-story bungalow kit home across Indian Hill Boulevard, being repaired and restored after damage from the January 2022 windstorm, sits directly across Seventh Street from a stately and substantial 1895 foursquare. My own home, a 1908 transitional Craftsman that incorporates rooflines from the Victorian Queen Anne style with features of the Craftsman style, sits across Seventh Street from a classic 1914 California bungalow Craftsman, both of which were designed by the same architect, Arthur Acker, and illustrate how the styles changed in just a half-dozen years from the first design to the second.

The Craftsman style, popular from about 1900-1925, was derived from the English Arts and Crafts movement that emerged during the late Victorian period. The movement promoted handcrafted materials and simple detailing partly in a reaction against the elaborate, mass-produced ornamentation found on Victorian style homes at the turn-of-the century. It attempted to improve upon decorative design that the movement leaders believed to have been corrupted by industrialization. The movement was largely based on the writings of John Ruskin that influenced the leader of the movement in England, William Morris, an ardent socialist.  Emphasizing nature and simplicity of form, Morris attempted to unite all the arts in the decoration of the home.

With a unanimous vote late Tuesday night, the Claremont City Council authorized a temporary reprieve for Claremont renters facing the possibility of losing their housing at year’s end. With two actions the council passed both an urgency eviction moratorium ordinance and a separate regular moratorium ordinance barring a specific type of no-fault eviction in which a landlord removes a tenant to perform a “substantial remodel” on the unit.

Claremont Heritage presents its 40th annual home tour on Sunday, October 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Claremont Heritage conducted its very first home tour in 1982, and this year’s event marks 40 years of presenting significant historic and architectural homes for members and the public to experience. Over the years Heritage has welcomed thousands of people to learn about the rich architectural heritage of this fine small town.

The proposed Larkin Place permanent supportive housing project is considered “by-right” — but what exactly does that mean?

Even by check passing standards, Tuesday’s event with Congresswoman Judy Chu and local leaders was a doozy. Pictured above (L-R) are Chu, Claremont Mayor Jed Leano and Rimmi Hundal, executive director of Tri City Mental Health discussing plans for a new 15-unit low-income housing project at the future site at 956 W. Base Line Road. COURIER photo/Peter Weinberger

Every week, Claremont Community Services Director Jeremy Swan takes a stroll around one of the city’s 20 public parks to ensure one thing: that their greenery hasn’t faded away.

On Monday the State of California put Claremont on notice that the city violated state law by denying an easement over a public park that would help facilitate the construction of a permanent supportive housing project. The letter from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Assistant Deputy Director, Local Government Relations and Accountability, David Zisser states “In denying the easement, the City of Claremont (City) has violated the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) under Government Code 65589.5.”

Parents and guardians of Claremont Unified School District students are reminded the first day of the 2022-23 school year is Wednesday, August 31.

Members of the audience applaud the remarks of Councilmember Corey Calaycay on Tuesday during the Claremont City Council meeting. The council voted 3-2 not to approve Jamboree Housing Corporation’s request for an easement across the parking lot at Larkin Park handing the company a set back in their quest to build a permanent supportive housing development on Harrison Avenue. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff

Regular readers of the Claremont COURIER may be getting the impression that the entire city is either under construction or has a proposed development coming, and you can add one more to the list, tentatively called Foothill and Towne.

Jamboree Housing Corporation Chief Development Officer Michael Massie, led a question and answer session last Thursday about the company’s proposed new project in Claremont called Larkin Place. This was the second time Jamboree officials have come to Claremont to discuss the project which would be affordable housing for formerly homeless people. Jamboree has scheduled four more meetings. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff