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.
Arcadia resident Ralph Bicker, a retiree for 25 years, keeps busy with volunteer work. He volunteers as the secretary/treasurer of the Pasadena Federal Credit Union's board of directors. He has been named Volunteer of the Year by the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.
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.
The California Horse Racing Board has approved fall racing's return to Santa Anita Park, in 2011, after a 1-year hiatus, but this time Oak Tree Racing Association will not be running the show. Oak Tree could participate, but would not operate the Directors Room or handle the money raised for the industry.
British retail giant Tesco considers selling its struggling U.S. grocery market Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. The El Segundo-based chain is losing money and Tesco has hired investment bank Greenhill to review options. Fresh & Easy has 200 stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona. There is a store in Arcadia (on Foothill Boulevard).
Green Leaf Events, launched by San Gabriel Valley native Jerry Diaz, began handling operations for Monrovia's long-standing Friday Night Street Fair earlier this month, in conjunction with LA Party Works, and in November, will assume operations of the Downtown Arcadia Street Market. It features a farmer's market, food vendors, and live entertainment. Open every Saturday, 5-9 pm, beginning November 7, spans 2 city blocks on First Avenue between Huntington Drive and Santa Clara St.
Organizers of the 626 Night Market at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, estimate as many as 50,000 people attended the recent 3 night run of the event. The event featured Asian street food booths and other vendors and entertainment.
The 626 Night Market is the brainchild of 3 Taiwanese-Americans who were heavily inspired by their experiences at night markets in Taiwan. The 626 Night Market will continue at Santa Anita Park next summer.
Downtown Arcadia business owners establish a Community Benefit District, mandating they each pay an annual assessment on their property taxes to fund marketing programs and activities in hopes of bringing more people to the area. It is called a Property-Based Business Improvement Model. It is a private-sector initiative that bills local businesses by the same criteria used in Old Pasadena--according to their frontage, lot size and scope of any buildings on a given property. 60% of downtown Arcadia owners chose the plan, the result of a three year effort.
California's median home price posted its biggest annual gain in more than 5 years last month, rising 20.8% to $301,790, as reported by California Association of Realtors. Arcadia has the second-largest increase in the state with its median home price jumping 40.2% in March to $726,136 compared to $518,000 a year earlier.
Thomas McKernan, Arcadia resident, recently retired as CEO of the Automobile Club of Southern California. He had worked with the Auto Club for 46 years. On May 1, he was succeeded by Robert Bouttier. McKernan has been elected to chairman of the Auto Club's board of directors. He will continue with several national responsibilities, including serving on the National AAA board of directors, chairing its planning and strategy effort. He will serve as vice chair of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Food a big draw at 626 Night Market, the Asian-inspired festival at Santa Anita Park. It is in its fourth season of food, entertainment, art and shopping.
In a letter sent to Mayor Tom Beck, the HQH Chinese American Equalization Association demands district voting in Arcadia. The association claims at-large system dilutes influence. According to 2010 U.S. Census, Asians represent 60% of the city's population of 56,364 and about 46% of its registered voters. The letter points out that no more than 2 Asian Americans have served on Arcadia City Council at the same time. Beck said Arcadia doesn't have the problem of Asians being underrepresented.
626 Night Market spawns copycats. The concept of a Taiwanese style foodie bazaar that has been held at Santa Anita Park, has spread to Orange County, Koreatown in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, and Studio City.
Arcadia okays all mail-in ballot for this spring's election. This marks Arcadia's third consecutive all mail-in election since adopting a 2011 ordinance that granted City Council authority to eliminate traditional polling in advance of a general municipal election. The mail-in election costs $115,000, the traditional one about 10% more.
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.
Property values in the West San Gabriel Valley (Pasadena and surrounding areas) continue to climb, fueled by high home prices and relatively low unemployment, despite a down economy, according to a year's worth of data released by the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor. Arcadia's combined property value rose 4.4%, more than any city in the county. The strong resale value of luxury homes and the increased demand for new construction are the main factors that led to Arcadia's growth. Jeanne Keating, a realtor and president of the Arcadia Association of Realtors, says Arcadia's great schools, availability of luxury homes, a solid city government, and a stable community, all factor into Arcadia's $713,500 median home price.