Neighbors urge Rosemead to require dust, air and vibration monitoring for proposed 191-unit project

Several residents told the Planning Commission they were concerned about dust, soil contamination and construction noise tied to the proposed 191-unit development.

At the public hearing, Jesse Stecklow, who said he lives at 1500 Delta Ave, read a letter from neighbors that said "the project's environmental investigation found certain areas of shallow soil containing arsenic, benzopyrene, and diesel range petroleum hydrocarbons above residential screening levels" and asked whether the city would require perimeter air monitoring, defined limits that would trigger corrective action and vibration monitoring at nearby homes. "We respectfully ask the city to require meaningful, enforceable protections for the people who already live here, including dust and air monitoring during soil disturbance, actual noise and vibration monitoring at nearby homes...and a straightforward complaint process with a designated city contact," Stecklow said.

Other neighbors — including speakers who live on Yarrow Street — expressed worry about people taking photos of residents, security presence, and how dust and fugitive contamination might affect seniors and nearby businesses with expensive air-filtration systems. Roger Goldstein, representing Panda Express, asked who his business should contact if dust mitigation was inadequate and asked that property lines be preserved during construction.

City staff and the applicant said many of these concerns are addressed by the MND, a required construction management plan and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program (MMRP). Staff said the construction management plan must be submitted for review by planning, public works and building and safety divisions and that code enforcement and the project planner will respond to complaints. The developer said a superintendent will be on site and signage with contact information will be provided. "If dust or anything ever kicks up...it's literally just a phone call," the developer said.

Neighbors asked that objective monitoring and defined enforcement steps be required before approval rather than relied on voluntary mitigation measures; staff said the MMRP and conditions of approval provide enforceable measures and that staff will follow up during construction.