Local News in Brief : Annexation Sought to Stop Developers

Claremont officials, sensing that developers are eyeing nearby rustic hillsides, are launching an ambitious effort to annex 6 square miles of foothill land to the north and west of the city’s boundaries.

If the unincorporated area is annexed, the San Gabriel Valley city will grow by more than 50% in size. But with much of the area consisting of steep slopes and largely inaccessible canyons, the acquisition would give the city only about 550 new residents.

“The only reason we’re doing it is out of our own special interest--because we want to preserve the hills,” Mayor Judy Wright said. “The land is ripe (for development).”

Wright and other officials fear that the county Regional Planning Commission would allow developers to build as many as 2,500 homes in the unincorporated foothills near Claremont.

For the process to begin officially, at least 5% of the 391 registered voters who live in the unincorporated area must sign petitions expressing their desire to join the city. Wright met with three neighborhood groups this month to persuade residents to support annexation, and other such meetings are planned in January.