Residents of the cities of San Dimas and La Verne held a community meeting Sunday afternoon over concerns about a new proposed homeless housing project. The Los Angeles County board of supervisors is proposing to build a 5-story building that will house homeless populations on a parcel of land located at 740 East Foothill Boulevard. The land sits in a county pocket between the two cities. The proposal calls for 54 units the property.
The Montessori School and several shops sit just feet away from the location of this project. Residents are concerned the location is too close schools in the area and could cause a safety concern for both students and parents. About 400 people showed up to Horsethief Canyon Park to discuss the issue.
Residents also say the location is not close to any services the homeless population would typically need like mental health care, transportation and affordable shopping. The cities of San Dimas and La Verne both issued a joint statement saying they were not notified of the project until the morning the item was to be voted on by the board of Supervisors. That meeting took place on April 18th 2023. The cities immediately requested the vote be postponed. The agenda item was moved to the May 16th meeting.
“While I am appreciative of Supervisor Barger gaining our two cities more time to better understand this project, just as our trust has been tarnished in the past, our cities are disappointed by the lack of information and community outreach about a project that has been in the system for many months,” stated La Verne Mayor, Tim Hepburn. “This is not how a major development, which at first glance is completely out of character for the adjoining neighborhoods, should be introduced to the communities. The lack of transparency in this process undermines not just faith in the system from residents, but potentially a project that could serve to solve a regional crisis,” said Tim Hepburn, Mayor of La Verne.
Many residents say they will continue to oppose the project and are urging their neighbors to write letters and make their voices heard at local meetings.
