Candlelight at Candlelight

Reporter Will Bigham posted an article on the Daily Bulletin's website that said Tuesday night's closed session discussion over possible future litigation had to do with the Candlelight Pavilion located next to the Old School House and the Claremont Doubletree Hotel.

According to the article, the theatre has lost revenue because of the construction at the Old School House complex and has fallen behind on its rent:

Harry Wu, owner of the property on which the theater sits, says the dispute stems from the inability of the Candlelight Pavilion to pay its rent.

General Manager Mick Bollinger "has some back rent that he needs to pay, and he was trying to seek" financial assistance from the city, Wu said.

Attendance at the Candlelight Pavilion has been affected by construction projects going on in its immediate vicinity at the Old School House, Wu said.

City staff is apparently concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit by the theatre to recoup the lost revenue. The Pavilion might look to the city because of its involvement in the rehabilitation of the site through the Claremont Redevelopment Agency.

You can read more about the history of the site in the Old Schoolhouse/Claremont Inn Specific Plan.

(Click to Enlarge)

Image taken from Old Schoolhouse/Claremont Inn Specific Plan, page 18

Old School House Update

The Claremont Courier reported yesterday on the progress at the Old School House, where Trader Joe's is scheduled to open on April 11th.

The article by Tony Krickl, which isn't posted yet, said that Phase One of the project is 95 percent complete and will include a Robek's Juice shop and a tea shop in the Trader Joe's building.

Phase Two, according to Krickl's piece, will include a renovation of the inside of the Old School House building as well as "An exterior facelift of the Candlelight Pavillion." The second phase will take another year to finish.

Phase Three will be a tri-level, 240-space parking structure, 96 condos, and 30 lofts.

You can read the specific plan for the Old School House/Claremont Inn Revitaliation on the city of Claremont's website (it may take a minute to load).

City Manager's Update

Claremont City Manager Jeff Parker's weekly updates are posted each Friday on the city's website. The handy notices give an idea of what's in the works at City Hall.

Parker's most recent update welcomed the newly elected Councilmembers Linda Elderkin and Sam Pedroza, and also congratulated Peter Yao on his re-election.

Parker also noted that the Old School House renovation at Foothill Blvd. and Indian Hill Blvd. is continuing and that on Wednesday, March 28th, at 7pm, the city's Architectural Commission will be considering, among other things, a three-story, 242-space parking structure along Colby Circle, which runs parallel to Foothill.

The first level will be a below-grade basement. The second is at ground level, and the third is the roof top. According to Parker's update, when viewed from Colby Circle, the structure will appear to be a one-story building. Of course, as Village West is showing, you don't always get what the drawings seem to show.

The Architectural Commission meets in the council chambers at City Hall.