Residents ask Baldwin Park commission to oppose rezoning of school site, seek traffic study and park alternatives

Several Bassett-area residents used the Planning Commission's public-comment period on May 28 to urge commissioners to oppose a proposed rezoning of a local elementary-school parcel and to request a traffic study and other community uses instead.

Gabriela, a Bassett resident, told the commission the Bassett Unified School District "is working on rezoning that land for, more than a hundred condos," and said the neighborhood is "very park scarce," asking the commission to consider a traffic study before any rezoning decision is made.

The appeal came from multiple speakers during verbal communications. Juanita Whitley said, "We don't need, condos and the builders there," and asked commissioners to keep the property "for the public" and to consider recreation or senior housing. Yolanda (last name not specified), who said she lives on Millbury Avenue, told the commission, "Our neighbors are not for this build," and asked commissioners to "keep Bassett community and homeowners in your thoughts when the proposal comes to you guys." Miguel Zuniga said the concerns "warrant even deeper consideration before any decision is made" and specifically requested the commission consider "conducting a traffic [study] so that we can truly reassess" potential impacts.

Other speakers reiterated objections to the proposal and asked commissioners to reject the developer's plan if and when a formal application arrives. Jorge Del Real said he and his neighbors remain "still against the storm properties" and asked commissioners to "please reject it to something else." Speakers described the site as park scarce and said the adjacent streets are narrow, raising safety and congestion concerns.

None of these remarks were part of an application presented to the commission; they were made during the meeting's public-comment period. Commission members did not take action on the subject during the meeting, which proceeded to its agendized items after verbal communications closed.

Why it matters: Residents say the site is one of few potential open-space opportunities in the Bassett area and that a residential development of the size described by speakers could worsen traffic and reduce available outdoor space for youth and seniors. Several requested that the city require or encourage a traffic study and consider alternative uses such as a park, community center or senior housing before any rezoning proceeds.

Meeting context and next steps: The comments were made during the Planning Commission's public-comment period; speakers asked the commission to give the issue careful review if and when a formal rezoning or development application is filed. No formal application or staff report on the site was before the commission on May 28, and the commission did not vote on the subject during this meeting.