Planning Commission backs 701 South Myrtle specific plan and certifies EIR, adds DRC landscape review

The Monrovia Planning Commission voted on Nov. 12 to recommend that the City Council certify an environmental impact report (EIR) and approve a site‑specific planned development (PD‑29) that would allow a five‑story, mixed‑use building at 701 South Myrtle Avenue.

Planning Division Manager John Mayer presented staff’s analysis, saying the 1.61‑acre site is identified in the city’s general plan as an opportunity for an Old Town extension and that prior feasibility work showed the site required additional density and height for a financially feasible mixed‑use project. The proposal calls for a 65‑foot, five‑story building with stepbacks, 204 housing units (20 studios, 147 one‑bedrooms and 37 two‑bedrooms), and 20 on‑site affordable units (17 reserved for low‑income households and 3 for moderate‑income households) consistent with the PD‑29 requirements.

Staff summarized the EIR process: a draft EIR was available for public review from July 3 to Aug. 18, 2025; a final EIR includes responses to public comments and mitigation measures. The EIR analysis concluded that, after mitigation, all identified environmental impacts would be reduced to…