San Dimas council approves annexation to connect vacant hillside lot to county sewer

The San Dimas City Council voted 5-0 on March 11 to approve an annexation request that will allow a vacant, unaddressed hillside parcel to connect to the county sanitation district for sewer service, city staff said.

Louis Tarico, the city's director of community development, told the council that the parcel has an approved single-family project that is in plan check and that the annexation request stems from the owner's request "to be connected to the county sewer." Tarico cautioned that approving a sewer connection does not automatically approve future development. "Should this item be approved, just because we allow the future connection of sewer doesn't mean that these projects are preapproved," he said.

The distinction mattered to council members who asked about alternatives if the annexation were denied. A council member asked whether the homeowner would face other options; Tarico said the alternative would be an on-site septic system requiring review by LA County Health and that "the state has made it more difficult to approve these type of septic systems," particularly on rocky hillside sites.

Councilmember comments and staff testimony also noted the lot's potential for a future subdivision: Tarico said the parcel "may be able to get 2 lots" if the owner submits slope analysis and meets the minimum lot-size requirements applicable in the hillside zone. Any subdivision would still require a parcel map and compliance with development standards.

Mayor Emmett G. Badar moved approval of the annexation; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously, 5-0. City staff said the annexation allows a future sewer connection but that the project remains subject to development review, slope analysis and separate permit approvals.

The council took no additional land-use action that evening; Tarico said the applicant would proceed through plan check and any future subdivision process if pursued.