How do I sell my house in Duarte?

If the lot has room behind the house, note that Duarte offers pre-approved ADU plans already reviewed by Building and Safety; you do not need to build one, but pointing buyers to the program answers a common question. Gather permits for any existing back unit, additions or garage conversion. On older houses, especially those with original systems, a pre-listing inspection can flag roof, plumbing or electrical items before a buyer finds them. Then complete disclosures, clean, touch up paint and yard, and plan photos once repairs are done. Keep the records together so buyers can review them quickly during escrow.

• Source: City of Duarte: Pre-Approved ADU Program

It may. The City calls its General Plan the blueprint for how Duarte develops over the next 10 to 20 years, but much of the city is also covered by specific plans. The Zoning Map numbers 20 of them, from the Huntington Highland, Las Lomas and Westminster Gardens plans to Rancho Verde, Duarte Town Center, Duarte Station and the City of Hope Specific Plan. Once a specific plan is adopted, it governs all use and development inside its bounds, so its standards, not the base zone, set what an owner or buyer can build. The Duarte Station Specific Plan, adopted on December 10, 2013, allows up to 475 homes, office space, shops and a hotel on 19 acres next to the Duarte/City of Hope light rail station. Before you list, find out whether your parcel sits inside one of these plans and read its rules for additions and second units.

• Source: City of Duarte: General Plan
• Source: City of Duarte: Specific Plans
• Source: Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority: Duarte/City of Hope Station

Planning is the first stop. A Duarte planner confirms a property's zoning, required setbacks and other code requirements, and minor approvals such as small residential additions and accessory buildings are typically processed quickly; for larger projects the City recommends a pre-application meeting. Building and safety plan check is provided under contract by Charles Abbott Associates, managed by the Community Development Director. Plan check fees are usually based on project valuation, and a first plan check takes one or two weeks in most cases. The City has no online portal for plan submittals and does not accept them by email, so plans go to the Community Development counter at City Hall, 1600 Huntington Drive, open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed Fridays. For a seller, that means asking the counter early for the permit history on additions, patio rooms and any back unit.

• Source: City of Duarte: Planning
• Source: City of Duarte: Building and Safety

In 1841 the governor of Alta California granted nearly 7,000 acres to Andres Duarte, who named it Rancho Azusa de Duarte; later owners split much of it into 40-acre plots, and Duarte grew as a citrus community. The City dates City of Hope to 1913, when the Jewish Relief Association opened a tuberculosis sanitarium south of Duarte Road, and Santa Teresita to 1930. The volunteer-run Duarte Historical Museum is at 777 Encanto Parkway in Encanto Park. The Donald and Bernice Watson Recreation Trail, opened in 1977, runs 1.6 miles from Buena Vista Avenue to Royal Oaks Park at Vineyard Avenue on the old Pacific Electric right-of-way, and the Encanto Nature Walk follows the San Gabriel River from the Puente Largo Bridge. The City lists the Fish Canyon Falls trail as closed until further notice after fire and flood damage. Light rail service at the Duarte/City of Hope station began on March 5, 2016.

• Source: City of Duarte: City History
• Source: City of Duarte: Duarte Trails
• Source: City of Duarte: City of Hope