Planned Condo Project Slated for Base Line and Mountain

A planned condominium project slated for the southwest corner of Base Line Road and Mountain Avenue can move forward.

Developer D.R. Horton will build the 54-unit development on 4.21 acres owned by the Claremont Unified School District. The district recently received bids to purchase the property and D.R. Horton was the highest bidder, said Mark Carnahan, Claremont’s senior planner.

The Claremont City Council last week voted 4-1 to approve the conditional use permit and tentative tract map for the condos.

Mayor Pro Tem Opanyi Nasiali voted no, citing air quality concerns.

Carnahan said the detached condominiums would be two stories with three and four bedrooms ranging from 1,600 to 2,000 square feet.  All but eight of the units will be sold at market rate.  The eight remaining must be reserved for low-to-moderate income earners, he said.

D.R. Horton officials estimate that the market rate is around $400,000 at this time.

The project has gone before both the architectural and traffic and transportation commissions. On Jan. 15, the Planning Commission approved a resolution to recommend that the council approve the conditional use permit and tentative tract map.

Carnahan said that studies conducted showed no significant environmental concerns, but Nasiali said he worried about the health effects of having a residential project so close to a freeway.

Nasiali mentioned a proposed Los Angeles County-controlled affordable housing development that once was set to be built at nearby Buena Vista and Base Line but was shelved due to environmental concerns.  A 10-year study prepared by scientists from the Keck Institute at USC found that a significant number of children who grew up within 500 feet of a freeway ended up with lung development issues, he said. 

“That concern, I don’t think has gone away,” he said.  “The study was very conclusive. I was convinced of that.”

City staff said the mitigation measures in place for the project include the installation of filtration systems in the units to lessen the possible affects of air pollution for residents and the requirement that sellers disclose the risks to potential buyers.

Councilman Sam Pedroza said while he supports the project, he did not want to dismiss the air quality issue. He suggested that the city use Community Development Block Grant funds to retrofit apartments near the freeway if air quality is a big concern.

Councilman Corey Calaycay said he lives by the freeway himself, so he couldn’t vote against the project on air quality grounds.

Mayor Larry Schroeder said since it is not likely the parcel will ever be developed commercial because it is not close enough to the freeway, he supports the project with the mitigation measures for pollution in place.

“We’re not forcing anybody to buy these homes,” he said.  “In fact, there is that mitigation and there is that disclosure.”

Although the project is mostly market rate, the eight units reserved for low-to-moderate income earners would provide much-needed workforce housing, according to staff.

Daniel Boyd, D.R. Horton vice president, said that the rates for the eight affordable units would be in the $250,000 to $280,000 range.

“We’ve had an incredible response from firemen, policemen, local service employees, lining up for the affordable housing,” he said, “not withstanding the high interest from the collegiate community.”