Arcadia City Council approves $70,000 to help the Downtown Business Association set up a business-improvement district. The district would tax commercial property owners to revitalize the area.
The Arcadia City Council unanimously approved a General Plan update that aims to make the future Metro Gold Line station the heart of a revitalized downtown and the plan includes a revitalization of Live Oak Avenue.
Public hearing regarding district boundaries slated for August 1. Public is invited to provide input regarding the composition of the districts for district-based elections.
Arcadia City Council approves proposed downtown development zoning changes, specifically regarding downtown Arcadia mixed-use development. Council member April Verlato recused herself from these discussions.
City of Arcadia has been revising its General Plan and the first public draft was released last week. The General Plan, a 25-year blueprint for how the city could develop was last updated in 1996. The plan addresses the Gold Line station and allows for mixed-use residential and commercial development north of Huntington Drive in the downtown area, and on Live Oak Avenue. The plan must go before the Planning Commission, then the City Council for approval.
Arcadia city officials will consider changes to its General Plan, a 25-year blueprint for land-use decisions. The new plan aims to revitalize the city's downtown (First Avenue and Huntington Drive) as well as the Live Oak Corridor in the city's southern end. "We're making it easier to develop the downtown and the area around the (future) Gold Line station," said Council Bob Harbicht. If approved, it would allow for mixed-use commercial and residential complexes, commercial square footages could double and the height limit would increase from 40 to 45 feet.
Arcadia City Council moves toward a smoking ban at city parks and recreation areas, excluding the Par 3 Golf Course. While Council voted 4 to 1 last week in support of the concept, an ordinance is expected to be presented to the Council in May for public comment and approval.
Arcadia City Council announces goals for future. In addition to budget deficit, "community building" with the city's Asian population, to be primary focus.
New Arcadia City Council member April Verlato brings a new voice. She is a lawyer born and raised in Arcadia. She has been an activist against mansions. She is president of Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association (AIA). Her goals for her time in office are 1) to address the uptick in residential burglaries and 2) to improve Arcadia's business districts.
Experts say city violated Brown Act meeting law. Arcadia City Council made three housing policy decisions in closed session without public input. At the meeting last week, officials voted to shelve a comprehensive update to city's residential and commercial zoning codes, postpone the Neighborhood Impacts Committee, and move forward with a citywide historic preservation survey, sans the Highlands Homeowners Association. City Attorney Stephen Deitsch said the decisions came as a result of a lawsuit filed against the city targeting mansionization.
Tim Schwehr, City of Arcadia's Economic Development Analyst, highlights Downtown Arcadia's new Business-Friendly Zoning Code, adopted November 2016 as part of a comprehensive citywide zoning update, with the goal of bringing more mixed use development to the area and incentivizing adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
Arcadia launches the new Arcadia Downtown Business Association, with plans to revitalize the downtown district. Matt McSweeney is the association's chairperson and owner of Matt Denny's Ale House Restaurant on East Huntington Drive. City officials will spend about $90,000 on a parking study and about $18,000 in redevelopment funds to get Arcadia Downtown Business Association off the ground. The revitalization plans should work nicely with the slated opening of the Gold Line station at the northwest corner of North First Avenue and East Santa Clara Street by 2014.
Arcadia City Council member Sho Tay aims to bridge city's cultural gap between Chinese immigrants and Caucasians. Tay says there are three distinct batches of Chinese immigrants. The first came from Taiwan in the 1980s and went to college here. The second came from Hong Kong after Tiananmen Square, and the third, most recent, batch is from mainland China. They came with wealth.
Attempted murder in Arcadia on June 25, 2013 at 1:38 PM. There were shots fired in the area of Lovell Avenue, just south of Duarte Road. The intended shooting victim ducked and was not hit by the gunshots. See also Mountain Views News, p. A6, June 29, 2013.
Pasadena Star News conducted a survey of local city government websites among area cities, looking for transparency of public information. Monrovia and Rosemead scored the highest, with A grades. Arcadia came in 6th among 32 cities, with a B-minus grade.
Arcadia City Council approves $30,000 for officials' trip to China and Taiwan. The purpose is to foster a better understanding of Asian culture in order to better serve Arcadia, which is heavily populated by residents from China and Taiwan. Establishing sister city relationships with Chinese and Taiwanese municipalities is another goal of the trip. See VF Sister City.
Arcadia Rotary uneils monument to Veterans at Arcadia Community Center. Funds to build it came from Arcadia Field of Honor (temporary flags at Arcadia County Park) put on by Arcadia Rotary Club, a generous gift from Mary E. Hansen, as well as funds from Santa Anita Park Race Track. The monument consists of seven pillars of granite, each dedicated to the various branches of service: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.
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.