Aerial view west toward Santa Anita Ave. from above First Avenue, site of new grammar school. Long driveway heads to Jaspar N. Teague home in center of 10 acre orange grove. (Address in City Directory for this name is 1380 S. Santa Anita.) House to left and south was that of Charles W. Stewart in another 10 acre plot. Both ranches are now occupied by First Avenue Junior High School.
Arcadia City Council approves Arcadia Highlands land development projects at 29 East Orange Grove Avenue and 1600 Highland Oaks Drive. The larger scale new construction of mansions will replace existing homes. The primary bone of contention came down to whether or not property owners' rights to maximize their investment and exercise freedom to build as they see fit should prevail over homeowners associations and residents concerned with maintaining a neighborhood's traditional aesthetic character while protecting neighboring properties' scenic views and privacy.
Arcadia City Council clears way for massive new homes at 29 East Orange Grove Avenue and 1600 Highland Oaks Drive, despite opposition to the increasing "mansionization," from several members of the Highland Oaks Homeowners Association (HOA). City Council voted to move forward with both projects, finding they complied with city's zoning codes and were exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The two homes met the city's design guidelines and met the resolution that governs design in the HOA areas.
Arcadia City Council delays vote on Arcadia Highlands home building projects. Council will address the matter again on February 3, to allow for more time to vet newly received petitions from area residents and a detailed letter from an attorney representing a leading opponent of the developments, that the City received last week. Both projects, one at 1600 Highland Oaks Drive, the other at 29 East Orange Grove Avenue, and both designed by Robert Tong of Arcadia-based Sanyao International Inc., involve the demolition of vintage homes to make room for larger residences.
Arcadia City Councill will look at possible changes in the city code on floor area ratio (FAR), lot coverage, and design review for single-family homes. FAR refers to the combined floor area of buildings on a lot, compared to the size of the lot. Arcadia has a lot coverage rule that single-story homes can cover 45% of the lot and 2-story dwellings 35%. Arcadia currently has a citizen-run design review effort within homeowner associations in northern parts of Arcadia, but no citywide system.
Arcadia City Council postpones decision on 1217 Mayflower Avenue home construction project. Scott Yang of Figure 8 Group Inc. seeks to replace a one-story 988 square foot ranch style house built in 1923 with a 5046 square foot home in the "modern" architectural style. In June, Planning Commission denied Yang's project.
Arcadia Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department resonded to a fire that destroyed a vacant Arcadia house in the 1300 block of South First Avenue. The house was in the process of being sold and was in escrow. The damage is estimated at $300,000.
Arcadia housing standards campaign to launch. City officials will engage in a "public education campaign" to inform residents about the city's current residential development standards and to look at what other communities are doing.
Arcadia Planning Commission denies 2236 Hollis Lane project, citing the applicant's lack of effort in finding a middle ground between the developers and the neighbors that oppose it. The applicant Marvin Fong aims to replace a 624 square-foot home with a 2500 square-foot home. Many Arcadians are concerned with "oversized" homes.
Arcadia Planning Commission denies Marvin Fong's plan for a large development at 2236 Hollis Lane. The proposed project is 4 times larger than the existing property, which upset a grass roots group effort to prevent "mansionization."
Arcadia residents hoping to vote to curb home sizes. Groups want city to have a lot less 'mansionization' and are circulating a petition for a ballot initiative that aims to set square footage regulations for new residential development projects.
As median home prices dip throughout Southern California, many local homes are being foreclosed. In 2007, there were 215 foreclosure filings in Arcadia. See chart for figures on surrounding areas.
Brandywine to build seventeen 3-story townhomes in Arcadia. This development brings more affordable options to Arcadia, at 136 Las Tunas Drive. Prices are expected to range from high $600,000s to high $900,000s.
Building at 22 E. Foothill Blvd (south side), apparently used as a residence and later for a business. This view is from west end of building, showing main (brick) part. Note arched windows.
Building at 22 E. Foothill Blvd (south side), built c. 1930, and used as both a residence and a business. This view is from the sidewalk in front and a bit west of building.
A city committee charged with creating design guidelines for residential architecture agreed to split south Arcadia neighborhoods into 2 or 3 areas to create neighborhood review boards for each area.
The City Council voted unanimously to expand design review for single-family homes citywide. It is the latest effort in the fight against boxy mansions being built in Arcadia. The review board thinks Asian families like the big houses and the Asian families say they do want to fit in with the community.
City to release first round of education campaign on Arcadia real estate rules and local zoning code in a forthcoming City newsletter. The campaign will include public meetings in November and an advisory committee comprised of Arcadia residents.
