Ella, a 6-year-old German Shepherd, at the Monrovia City Council meeting on July 21, 2026 (Photo – cityofmonrovia)
The Monrovia City Council spent most of a short Tuesday night meeting on a single question: whether the city should buy a 7.8-acre hillside parcel that a private owner has spent years trying to subdivide.
By Shashank Tongaonkar
The answer, at least in principle, was yes.
Councilmembers approved a letter of intent to purchase 347 N. Highland Place from 347 North Highland Place LLC for $2 million. They also approved a 5% contingency, capped at $100,000, for fees and other costs tied to the deal, bringing the city’s total potential cost to about $2.1 million.
The purchase would give the city control of a property that has been at the center of a years-long proposal to carve the hillside into four residential lots.
The property sits on the west side of Highland Place between West Hillcrest Boulevard and Scenic Drive. It has been the subject of a proposal to subdivide the land into four lots. The plan includes three single-family homes ranging from roughly 4,000 to 4,500 square feet and a new 52,466-square-foot debris basin known as the Highland Desilting Basin. The proposal also calls for demolishing the existing house, its outbuildings, and an old dam and retention basin.
What the city ultimately intends to do with the property remains unclear. The staff report accompanying the item did not spell out the city’s long-term plans, and the matter was handled as an administrative report rather than a public hearing.
For context, county records show the parcel last changed hands in 2019 for $900,000.
The staff report accompanying the item did not spell out the city’s long-term plans for the property, and the matter was handled as an administrative report rather than a public hearing.
The meeting opened on a lighter note, with the council recognizing the birth of Elliot Emerson Leos, born June 25 to Community Services Commissioner Giangelo Leos and Amanda Leos. Public Relations and Communications Manager Kevin McManus also presented the Pasadena Humane Pet of the Month.
The consent calendar was approved as a block. It included payroll of $961,145 and warrant registers dated July 9 and July 16 totaling $532,484 and $6,318,284, respectively.
Council members also adopted an ordinance tightening the administration of the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax for hotels, short-term rental operators, and booking platforms. They approved Resolution No. 2026-49, authorizing the destruction of certain departmental records.
Three contracts rounded out the agenda: dedicated internet service orders with Giggle Fiber LLC for city facilities, not to exceed $66,564 through July 2029, along with a $2,200 annual increase for the Police Department connection; a task order with Gibson Transportation Consulting for city traffic engineer services and Traffic Safety Committee participation through June 30, 2027, capped at $50,000; and a renewal with Digital EMS Solutions for the Fire Department’s electronic patient care reporting software through June 30, 2029.
With no regular meeting scheduled in August, Monrovia’s council will next meet Sept. 1.
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