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Residents press Sierra Madre council over soil and air testing at Meadows development
Summary
Multiple residents told the council they remain worried about contamination (dioxins, lead, arsenic) at the Meadows development and asked why the city did not commission independent testing and why Toll Brothers did not promptly share air monitoring results. Council was asked to press the developer for transparency and to report whether affected schoolchildren were notified.
Several residents from the Meadows neighborhood and adjacent Pasadena properties used the March 24 public‑comment period to press the council for more transparency and independent testing of soils and air during work at the Meadows development.
Deb Sheridan and Cheryl Fukazaki read letters and described residents’ concerns: soil disturbance during grading may have released dioxins and other contaminants; residents say they observed students walking on the property while trenching took place and asked whether parents and school officials had been notified. "We asked if residents could hire their own company to conduct soil testing at the Meadows to avoid the conflict of the developer hiring their own consultant," one commenter said; she said the request went unanswered.
Commenters reported the city told them Toll Brothers would conduct air monitoring after resident pressure, but residents said monitoring results have not been posted. One speaker told the council that a local bill (AB1642) to set statewide post‑wildfire testing standards has advanced in the legislature and warned the Meadows testing could be deemed inadequate if the law passes.
City staff and council acknowledged the concerns and urged residents to continue engaging with staff and the city attorney; no council action was taken at the meeting. Council asked staff to follow up on which results have been posted, to clarify whether adjacent property owners were notified of sampling and to report back with a timeline for responses from the developer and any agency oversight.
