Planning commission recommends approval for 169-unit townhome project at former Andres Duarte School; sends entitlements to city council

The Duarte City Planning Commission voted 3-2 on a package of resolutions Thursday recommending approval of a developer-led plan to build 169 townhomes on the former Andres Duarte School property at 1433 Crestfield Drive and to reconfigure and upgrade Otis Gordon Park.

The project would change the site’s land-use designation and zoning from public facilities to high-density residential (R-4), split the parcel into a residential lot and a park lot, and approve a tentative parcel map, site plan and design review, and a plan development permit. Commissioners also recommended certification of the environmental impact report prepared for the project and forwarded the entitlements to the City Council for final action; staff said that hearing will likely be scheduled for Sept. 23.

Why it matters: The school district said declining enrollment and related revenue shortfalls left it with excess campus capacity; the district proposes a long-term lease of the site to generate recurring revenue while preserving public access to parkland. The plan would add family-sized rental housing to the city’s housing stock and provide a multimillion-dollar overhaul of Otis Gordon Park, but opponents raised concerns about traffic, loss of a school site, and whether the housing will be affordable to city residents.

The project and what it would include

The applicant’s proposal calls for 169 townhome-style rental units across roughly 7 acres of the former school site, with the adjacent park retained on approximately 6 acres, staff said. The residential portion would be arranged in 26 buildings (25 residential buildings plus a recreation building). Of the 169 units, 132 are proposed as three-bedroom units and 37 as four-bedroom units; unit sizes are described in the record as ranging from about 1,358 to 1,475 square feet, with an average of roughly 1,425 square feet. The community/recreation building is listed at 3,564 square feet, including a 2,570-square-foot common area.

The applicant proposes three Spanish-style architectural themes across the project and public art at a prominent corner. Parking would meet the city’s requirement of two covered spaces per unit and one guest space per four units; the project uses a mix of side-by-side and tandem garage layouts and includes detailed garage-dimension language in a revised condition (standard garages: minimum…