"Mother Road"-clear road ahead to make Route 66 a historic trail. A bill that passed the House of Representatives by unanimous vote June 5, could make Route 66 a National Historic Trail, meaning the 2400 mile road that passes through 8 states, could get federal dollars for preservation, promotion and rehabilitation. Part of the road runs through Arcadia.
City lacks votes to adopt a temporary moratorium. Arcadia City Council will not consider a temporary moratorium on any stage of residential development because they don't have enough votes (4 are required) to pass the proposed ordinance. A moratorium would have initially been in place for 45 days, with an option to extend it, while the city updates its residential and commercial standards and conducts a historic preservation survey.
Arcadia settles building project lawsuit, paves the way to update residential zoning code and including Highland Oaks neighborhood in a citywide historic preservation survey.
A pictorial collection of historic estates and vintage homes from the collections of the Arcadia Historical Society is now exhibiting at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum, through August 20, 2011. Carol Libby curated it. On exhibit are Anoakia, the Southern California Nursery (later a residence), La Cuccia, Prince Eric of Denmark's home, and the Burnell Oaks Estate, among others.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden will have its historic buildings upgraded and a new 5-year strategic plan is being drafted for the first time in many years. Among items to be improved are the roof replacement and stabilization of the Hugo Reid Adobe (aka Baldwin Adobe), the rehabilitation of the library, as well as roof replacements for the 126-year-old Queen Anne Cottage of "Fantasy Island" fame, and the Coach Barn. Mitchell Bishop, curator of the historic collections, said he plans to rehabilitate Baldwin Lake.
Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is currently exhibiting "Arcadia Fire Department: a history." It is the 7th annual Arcadia High School honors history exhibit. The high school students interviewed firefighters for the project. In photo: firefighters James Miller and Chris Moore, and students Tim Lim, Breana Flores, and Brittney Lee.
A parcel tax in Arcadia appears to pass. Voters appear to have narrowly approved a parcel tax measure that will raise $3.4 million for the Arcadia Unified School District each year for the next five years, according to preliminary results. If the outcome is finalized, property owners would pay $228 per parcel per year in an effort to stave off additional cuts in the classroom. Measure A, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, was approved by 67.61% of those who voted in the district's boundaries. The vote should be finalized tomorrow.
The historic Adams' Pack Station is having a fundraiser tomorrow. The funds are needed for the 50+ year old general store at Chantry Flat, to make upgrades to meet health codes. The pack station, originally established in Sierra Madre before it moved to Chantry Flat in 1936, uses a team of donkeys to carry supplies to the cabins in the Big Santa Anita Canyon, a camp owned by the United Methodist Church.
Santa Anita Park. Track to boost race day rules. Owner, in a historic step following the death of a 22nd horse at the winter meet, announces medication ban, limits on riding crop use.
Measure A would increase sales tax by .75% to bring local Arcadia sales tax rate to 10.25%. It will be placed on a June 4 mail-in ballot. If passed, Measure A would yield about $8.6 million annually, which would be dedicated to keeping city services at the levels residents have come to appreciate.
Legislation. In the wake of 23 horse deaths at Santa Anita Park, California legislators are pushing for a new bill that targets racetrack oversight. It would allow state to suspend a venue’s license over safety concerns. Senator Bill Dodd, Democrat-Napa, and Assemblyman Adam Gray, Democrat-Merced, introduced the legislation and announced plans to have a joint oversight hearing on horse racing safety in the next month.
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.
Los Angeles County Public Works is scheduled to clear 11.3 acres of pristine native oak woodland to dump tons of sediment dredged from Santa Anita Dam. Glen Owens, a founder of the Big Santa Anita Historical Society and a Monrovia planning commissioner, hopes it's not too late for a grass roots effort to oppose or at least postpone the project. The sediment dump would be entirely in Arcadia.
Fueld by rising prices in Arcadia, Pomona, Pico Ribera and most beach cities, the Los Angeles metropolitan area bucked a national trend this year, as it saw a 3.3% year-over-year gain in home prices, according to a report by Standard & Poor's and Case-Shiller. Arcadia saw a 39.6% increase in home prices this year.
The Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum celebrates its tenth year anniversary with an exhibit called Ten Years and Counting: the Legacy of the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum, through October 29.
A team of designers and builders (photo) from Kiewit Parsons firm working on the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension prepare to remove the existing railroad bridge on Colorado Boulevard between San Antonio Road and Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia. That section of Colorado Boulevard may close today. The portion of Colorado Boulevard west of North Santa Anita Avenue, is scheduled to be closed from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM weekdays through June 8, to remove the existing railroad bridge. Since the Colorado Boulevard bridge was once an old freight line bridge, it is not wide enough to accommodate light rail trains and tracks, and thus, will be demolished over the next 4 weeks.
Arcadia resident David Arvizu to challenge city on open meeting law. His letter gives city officials 30 days to respond to alleged open meeting law violations before he files a complaint with the D.A. or a lawsuit against the city. He offered two alternatives to litigation: the Council would either set aside the decisions made in closed session on May 5, or make the meeting minutes available to the public. In a closed session May 5, City Council voted to suspend comprehensive updates to the city's residential and commercial zoning codes, postpone the Neighborhood Impacts Committee, and move forward with a citywide historic preservation survey, excluding the Highland Oaks Homeowners Association. City Attorney Stephen Deitsch said officials did not violate the Ralph M. Brown Act when they voted on three "procedural" items in closed session because they were tied to pending litigation against the city.
The Southern California News Group gives grades for affordable housing in area cities. Every city and county in California is required to plan for adequate housing across income levels but actually building those homes is largely a goal rather than a requirement. Arcadia got an overall D Minus grade.
The Adams' Pack Station, owned by Deb Burgess, in the Chantry Flat area, 3 miles up a road starting from the top of Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, fights to remain open as it faces costly upgrades required by the Los Angeles County Health Department. Forest authorities want it to remain a historic landmark, which would limit the amount and types of renovations that can be done.