Mercy Claremont — 1364 N. Towne Ave

A 74-unit affordable housing project for veteran families and veterans exiting homelessness is entitled on a former church site on N. Towne Avenue in Claremont, cleared through the state's streamlined SB 35 review process.

What's proposed

A three-story building with 74 units total — 54 reserved for veteran families, 19 as permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless veterans, and one manager's unit. Units span one to three bedrooms and are affordable at 30–70% of area median income. TCA Architects designed the project, with 73 parking spaces on the 1.89-acre site.

What it's replacing

The site was the former Solid Rock Church, behind the Foothill Boulevard commercial strip. Mercy Housing California bought the 1.89-acre parcel for about $4.5 million in 2023.

How it got here

Because the project met the state's affordability and zoning criteria under Senate Bill 35, Claremont approved it through streamlined ministerial review — a process that skips discretionary hearings and CEQA review entirely. The city granted entitlements in October 2024; its own Housing Element Annual Progress Report later logged the approval as case 23-A13.

Where it stands

Entitled but not yet financed to the point of breaking ground. The project has been assembling funding in stages: state, county (LACDA), and San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust contributions, then a $19.36 million LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency award in May 2026, and most recently a Board of Supervisors action in September 2026 declaring intent to issue up to $20.3 million in tax-exempt bonds for the project's borrower entity. Coverage of the county bond action put the construction cost at $47.6 million; the Claremont Courier reported a total development cost of about $62.4 million, a broader measure. Groundbreaking is targeted for summer 2027, contingent on a tax credit award, with completion targeted for fall 2028.

What this means if you live nearby

The entitlement is locked in — the design and unit count won't change without a new city process — but the project is still working through public financing before construction starts. Expect this to move on the funding timeline (state tax credit rounds) rather than a local hearing calendar; the next real milestone to watch for is a tax credit award, which would set the groundbreaking date.