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Neighbors urge scaled‑down plan, traffic and seismic studies for proposed senior housing at 6230 Claremont
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Summary
Dozens of neighbors told the Planning Commission the proposed 203‑unit senior residence at 6230 Claremont is out of scale and risks traffic, safety, seismic, and solar access impacts; commenters asked staff and the developer to prioritize local street access, landscaping, stepbacks and emergency access studies.
Multiple residents spoke during open forum to urge the Planning Commission and staff to ensure any senior housing proposal at 6230 Claremont is reduced in scale and designed to avoid safety and livability harms.
Anne Del Simone, an almost 40‑year resident of Florio Street, said a seven‑story project would bring a significant increase in large‑vehicle traffic and endanger pedestrians and children who use narrow Florio as a walking route. "To turn what is a calm residential street into an often‑used thoroughfare is a dangerous prospect," she said.
Other neighbors raised similar concerns: Lynn Harlan warned that placing the service entrance and dumpster staging on Florio would turn sidewalks into permanent staging areas; Susan Shaw said the proposed 93‑foot height is "too big and too institutional" and urged terracing, stepbacks, and mature landscaping to buffer small nearby homes. Several commenters asked where up to 400 additional residents and staff would park and how emergency vehicles would access a tall building on narrow streets.
Ben Hamburg, an earthquake‑preparedness instructor, urged a seismic safety and evacuation impact study, saying a large high‑rise of predominantly elderly residents near the Hayward Fault would raise concentrated life‑safety risks and complicate rescue operations. "To save lives, I urge the commission to require seismic risk and evacuation impact study and limit the height and size of the project," he said.
Other speakers suggested the project include affordable units rather than luxury rents and asked staff to confirm whether the developer’s plans comply with local setback, stepback and sunlight protections. Tanya Smith said the proposal would remove mature perimeter trees, worsen heat‑island and shading impacts on public spaces, and urged the commission to thoroughly investigate safety, traffic, and shading issues.
Takeaway: While several speakers acknowledged the city needs senior housing, the neighborhood repeatedly requested a smaller, more context‑sensitive design with service access concentrated on Clermont Avenue (not Florio), robust landscaping, traffic and emergency access studies, and careful attention to seismic safety and shading impacts.
