Clearing the Air: Facts About the La Puerta Plan

There are several common misconceptions about the La Puerta plan floating around social media and other outlets. We address several of these issues below. Please email us at outreach@lapuertaclaremont.com if you have any questions about the project. We’ll gladly meet with any Claremont resident interested in this project.

 

Misconception: This is high-density housing. 

Facts: False. As proposed, the La Puerta plan falls within the City of Claremont’s low density zoning category and is the same as the surrounding neighborhood, which is zoned as homes between 2 and 6 units per acre. Our plan is less than 6 units per acre. 

Misconception: Trumark is planning attached townhouses.

Facts: False. All homes are single-family detached residences that fit within the city’s “low-density” zoning of 2-6 units per acre.

Misconception: Trumark is planning to purchase both the school site and the park. 

Facts: False. Trumark is not proposing to purchase any of the sports park and there are zero plans to alter, rezone or otherwise change La Puerta Sports Park.

Misconception: The plan includes 74 homes. 

Facts: Only 56 residential units are proposed on approximately 11 acres. Six of these units have Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) included as part of the home to help the city meet its affordable housing goals.

Misconception: These homes must be on quarter-acre lots (10,000+ sf)

Facts: This is not accurate. The plan fits within the city’s low-density zoning, which is the same as the surrounding neighborhood.. Larger, quarter-acre lots (10,000+ sf), like some surrounding homes, are not feasible, according to economic studies.

  • Market: Today’s buyers prefer lot sizes from 4,000-7,000 sf. This is abundantly clear in expert market research. 
  • Timing: If proposed at quarter-acre lots, economic studies show that it would take upwards of three years to build and sell these homes, prolonging construction and reducing financial benefits to the city and schools.
  • Regulation: The State strictly regulates water and energy use for homes as part of sustainable development rules. Large-lots are not conducive to these sustainability rules. 
Misconception: Trumark will build a road from North Indian Hill to Forbes.

Facts: False. A road from North Indian Hill to Forbes (or any other area) has never been proposed. 

Misconception: The City should just keep the La Puerta school site as a public facility.

Facts: The school site belongs to the Claremont Unified School District. The district is required to sell the land at fair market value, per California law. The city, by law, cannot acquire the land below that value and would have to purchase it at market value, then pay for the construction and maintenance.

Misconception: Trumark hasn’t conducted outreach

Facts: False. Trumark has been conducting outreach since March 2020, including: mailings to project neighbors, televised/online public meetings, a community forum for neighbors, project website with feedback mechanism, social media, more than 40 individual or group briefings/phone calls, at-home visits and personalized view simulations, community emails, sports league briefings and meetings; all done during and within strict COVID regulations. 

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An Update on our Plans for La Puerta

April 5, 2024

We have an important update regarding our plans for the former La Puerta school site, and we wanted you to hear it from us first.  

Trumark Homes has worked with the local community for the past four years to develop a collaborative vision for the future of La Puerta. Through dozens of meetings, workshops and conversations, we created a plan for 56 single-family homes on large lots to match the low-density character of the surrounding neighborhood. It’s a plan that protects local priorities and benefits the community, and as a result, it has received significant support from Claremont residents.  

We’re proud of this collaborative plan and have been working closely with the City to bring the vision to reality. Yet, as the Claremont Courier reported, the City Council made a significant change to the development code last year that prohibits us from constructing the project as proposed. In short, they changed the rules after our application was submitted, and the 56-unit project we’d prefer to build is no longer feasible.  

We have been in talks with the City to resolve this issue for several months but, unfortunately, we haven’t reached a viable solution. As a result, Trumark has re-submitted an application to the City for a revised plan that complies with the new code. In industry speak, we’re pursuing what’s known as a Builder’s Remedy.   

Rest assured, this updated plan for La Puerta still maintains the existing boundaries of the school site and does not include any changes to La Puerta Sports Park. It still provides millions for infrastructure improvements and will fund major modernization efforts across Claremont Unified School District campuses. The only change is the addition of 35 affordable housing units (20 single-family homes and 15 multi-family homes) to help address our region’s housing needs. Single-family homes will remain along Forbes Avenue and the other perimeter edges of the project, and the plan will still receive the same rigorous environmental review and mitigation.  

While this represents a slight departure from our progress together, we remain committed to developing a new community at La Puerta that fits with its surroundings and is a positive addition to North Claremont.  

We look forward to sharing more information about the next steps as they become available. In the interim, please reach out with any comments or questions at info@lapuertaclaremont.com.