Tiny house homeless plan draws opposition. Council tables proposal to build shelters at park. The city will create a citizens committee to help study the issue. The city is looking into costs, infrastructure and grants for the proposed complex of tiny shelters, in response to the growing number of unhoused people in Arcadia. Homelessness in Arcadia grew from 85 in 2019 to 117 in 2020.
Arcadia's historic Derby Restaurant may be relocated. A mixed-use project may take the place of The Derby and Embassy Suites at 211 East Huntington Drive - 233 East Huntington Drive. Local historian Sandy Snider expressed concern that the 99 year-old building may end up being razed. George Woolf bought the Derby in 1938, originally named Proctor Tavern when it operated in 1922. Councilman Paul Cheng supports the relocation of The Derby. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, August 13, 2020 for "The Derby-what's next?"
LA County expected to reach COVID-19 herd immunity by July. The rate of people getting vaccinated has slowed, so it is taking longer to reach herd immunity. We have probably over 2 million more first doses to go until 80% of all LA County residents age 16 and over, will have received at least one vaccine.
Los Angeles County Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof, 65, to retire in late spring, after 14 years of leading the acclaimed horticultural site in Arcadia. New CEO expected this summer. See hard copy in VF.
Arcadia announces public hearing on city council redistricting, where draft maps will be reviewed. It will take place on March 1, 2022 at City Council Chambers, 240 West Huntington Drive, at 7:30 PM.
First phase of Le Meridien Hotel taking shape across from Santa Anita Park. Ground broke more than two years ago. The five-story building, on the site formerly occupied by the Santa Anita Inn (its address was 130 West Huntington Drive), was set to open first quarter of 2020, but it has been delayed. It will have a combination of Art Deco elements, inspired by nearby Santa Anita Park, with Modernist features. Architecture firm Architects Orange, interior design firm Linda Snyder Associates, and Snyder Langston is the construction team building the Le Meridien development that spans 6.5 acres.
Sex therapist Dr. Susan Block is in a zoning fight with Arcadia City. Her building is zoned for office use, not residential, although building license inspectors found 10 bedrooms inside. The brick building is on Las Tunas Drive and is the business location of Saybrook Media, where The Dr. Susan Block Show is produced. Susan Block, aka Dr. Suzy, had an HBO Special "Radio Sex TV with Dr. Susan Block" in the 1990s.
Medical hub marks rebirth, rebrand at USC Arcadia Hospital. In July the 119-year-old Methodist Hospital of Southern California officially became USC Arcadia Hospital. It's a new era for the 348-bed hospital on Huntington Drive. The "new hospital" will build on the history of Methodist, which operated in Arcadia for more than 50 years, and grow into a "one-stop."
Arcadia Woman's Club celebrates the 90th year of the construction and dedication of their clubhouse. The club is also applying for historical preservation landmark designation for its clubhouse. One of the club's first civic projects was establishing a library in Arcadia in 1914. After receiving approval from the county, a small library building at the southeast corner of First Avenue and Indiana (Wheeler) Street was established. Arcadia Police Chief Nakamura and Event Chair Marilyn Daleo attend and are in the photo.
The Derby could highlight new hub. If developers get their way with a zone change and other approvals, the area around the 1920s-era Derby restaurant will be transformed into a mixed-use development with the eatery as its centerpiece. Right now the 2.23 acre project site has 2 structures, the two-story restaurant at 233 East Huntington Drive and a vacant one-story building at 301 East Huntington Drive, once occupied by Souplantation. The new development would include 205 market rate residential units and 9 affordable units.
Shrimp and crab-stuffed salmon at The Derby, 233 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, is recommended and the restaurant's menu and reputation are also described.
Santa Anita Park cancels all weekend racing due to unprecedented winter weather forecast for Southern California. A storm is expected to drop 6 inches of rain through Saturday.
Mall buyer a local resident. Wen Shan Chang, 71, of Bradbury, is new proprietor of The Shops at Santa Anita, formerly owned by Westfield. It was sold in August for $537.5 million. The property is at 400 South Baldwin Avenue and is now called The Shops at Santa Anita. Mall is 1.48 million square feet. Chang purchased it from France-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield in a sale considered the largest for a mall in the U.S. since 2018. The Arcadia mall site has been thriving through Asian retailers catering to the large Asian community in Arcadia and San Gabriel Valley.
Chinese company's Arcadia subsidiary to pay more than $1 million in Los Angeles City Hall bribery case. Jia Yuan USA Co., Inc. part of China-based Shenzhen Hazens, is a developer that bribed LA City officials to secure official acts to benefit their real estate projects.
Drive-through Christmas light show at Santa Anita Park, 285 West Huntington Drive, called Reindeer Road, produced by World of Illumination. Tickets available. The event started November 11, 2021 and runs through January 2, 2022.
Ruixue "Serena" Shi, 36, of Arcadia, was arrested for allegedly swindling more than $20 million that was solicited for funding a condominium and hotel complex called Hyde Resorts and Residences in Coachella Valley. Shi was president and owner of Global House Buyer (GHB), a China-based real estate development company, and also was CEO of the Beverly Hills-based company Hyde Morgan Development, LLC.