After two weeks of delays, construction work has resumed along the downtown stretch of Huntington Drive and First Ave. City officials have hired a new contractor.
The urban design team of Freedman, Tung, and Bottomley made its first recommendations to develop the city's Downtown Revitalization Plan. Ideas included removing parallel street parking along Huntington Drive and adding eight pedestrian crosswalks, as well as creating themes based on Santa Anita Park.
Downtown 2000, the $4 million revitalization project, will primarily affect Huntington Drive and First Ave. Huntington Drive will have more landscaping and lighting, while First Ave. will have angled parking and landscaping to be more pedestrian oriented.
The $4.1 million Downtown 2000 plan will restore the area along Huntington Drive from Santa Clara to 5th Avenue, as well as on 1st Ave. The project should start in June and be completed by the fall racing season.
Michael Goldstein, a 40-year old former stockbroker, and his wife Bridgethave opened Goldstein's Bagel Bakery at 221 N. Santa Anita Ave. after opening the original Goldstein's in Old Pasadena 5 years ago. It is the nation's first drive through bakery.
The addition of a new hotel on the corner of Second Avenue and Santa Clara Street in Arcadia would bring an additional 159 rooms to an area which already boasts eight hotels along a one mile stretch of the Huntington Drive corridor.
The new Nordstrom department store offers a traditional men's and women's restroom, as well as a new "family restroom," a large, private restroom with toilet, changing table, diaper dispenser and a lowered child height sink.
The windmill will stay as part of the redesign of Denny's at the corner of Santa Anita Avenue and Huntington Drive. The windmill was originally built for a Van de Kamp's coffee shop in 1967.
Starting this spring, the new owner of Santa Anita Park, Frank Stronach, is planning the first of what will likely be massive renovations to the horse racing facility.
The Arcadia City Council, in its role of redevelopment agency, has approved a disposition and development agreement with American Savings for the property at the northwest corner of First Avenue and Huntington Drive.
Students at Holly Avenue Elementary School can choose the traditional September-June schedule or attend year-round classes with 4 shorter breaks, instead of the three-month summer vacation. The new schedule has the usual 180 days, but includes 4 sessions of about 9 weeks and breaks as long as 20 days.
The general plan will be reviewed by the Planning Commission. The "central area" will be the focus of study. This area runs from the 210 Foothill freeway on the north to Duarte Road on the south and from the east city boundary to Santa Anita Avenue. It also includes the commercial section west of Santa Anita Avenue and north of Huntington Drive.
Photos and captions. Children celebrate Easter traditions at Arcadia Recreation Department Egg Hunt and Crazy Hat Parade, Kathy Kredel Nursey School at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and various other locations. Assisteen Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Arcadia decorate eggs for the Foundation for the Junior Blind in Los Angeles. See hard copy of newspaper in Box 51.
Construction crews began digging up streets and sidewalks along Huntington Drive in June for the City's Downtown 2000 Renovation Project. Traffic jams, frustrated customers and declining sales have been the result.