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Paramount council schedules workshop after wide-ranging debate over Clearwater specific plan
Summary
City planning staff updated the council on the Clearwater Specific Plan, which would allow denser housing, retain the swap meet in some form and create mixed-use zones; the council directed staff to schedule a special workshop with the property owner and planning commission for deeper review.
Paramount city planners presented a status update on the Clearwater Specific Plan and asked the City Council whether to continue the plan as drafted or change direction after property-owner concerns.
The plan area — roughly south of Rosecrans, north of Somerset, west of Paramount Boulevard and east of the Union Pacific right-of-way — would keep the swap meet and allow a mix of retail, office, light industrial and housing. John King, Planning Director, told the council the plan currently allows up to 22 homes per acre under the existing rules and that state law requires an increase in capacity to 30 homes per acre to meet the city’s certified housing element.
The draft organizes the area into multiple zones with differing density and uses. Jose Rodriguez, senior project manager for consultant MIG, said the plan concentrates the highest density near a future light-rail station at Rosecrans and Paramount and provides a “flex zone” to allow a mix of light industrial, commercial and residential as market demands change. Rodriguez described proposed street typologies, public open space concepts and a programmatic CEQA process to support future projects under the specific plan.
Property owner representative Mr. Bianchi (Modern Development) said his ownership controls about 70% of the plan area and called for greater flexibility and time to make the project feasible. “This project’s not gonna get built all at once,” he said, urging a higher transferable development-rights (TDR) cap and a form-based rather than prescriptive zoning approach.
Council members and staff agreed the briefing warranted additional time and detail. Council asked staff to organize a dedicated workshop so the council, the property owner and the planning commission could examine the plan, supporting studies and potential tradeoffs in a longer, workshop-style meeting. City Manager John Moreno said staff would try to schedule a special meeting within the next 30–60 days and include the Planning Commission so the property owner could present with more time than the regular three-minute public-comment slot allowed.
Planning staff outlined the remaining process: finalize an administrative draft and an administrative draft EIR in the spring, release public review in June–July, and seek adoption of the specific plan and the EIR in late summer/early fall 2025. Staff emphasized the EIR will be programmatic to help future private projects rely on the environmental analysis.
The workshop direction is staff-level guidance to bring more time and focused review into the process; it does not change the underlying draft plan or constitute formal council approval of the plan’s provisions.
Looking forward, staff said the draft EIR will require confirmation of buildout numbers and that community outreach and targeted stakeholder meetings will continue before any adoption hearing.
