The Santa Anita Oaks Homeowners Association works closely with Gary Dorn whose late father Raymond Dorn was named agent in the deed allowing subdivision of the area. Article discussed deed restrictions on development that do not expire until 1985.
Arcadia City Council has agreed to reconsider the controversial policy of not allowing homeowners to change their addresses, after several homeowners complained they can't sell their homes at fair market value, due to a popular Chinese belief that the number four is unlucky. Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic said, "...I think we have to look at the true economic impact of this." Councilman Roger Chandler said, "I don't think we should operate public policy on superstition."
Arcadia set a local record for the highest percentage increase in the median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California, as compared to a year ago, with an increase of 28.2%.
Illegal lot splits in the area of deep residential lots has been causing many headaches for the City. City Attorney Phillips feels that most illegal splits occur because of ignorance of the law by owners and buyers. The City does not learn of the deal until it has been finalized.
Janet S. Maynard was arrested for trying to raffle off her $250,000 home for $25 a ticket. She organized the raffle because she has been unable to sell the house and was facing foreclosure.
Arcadia City Council approves Arcadia Highlands land development projects at 29 East Orange Grove Avenue and 1600 Highland Oaks Drive. The larger scale new construction of mansions will replace existing homes. The primary bone of contention came down to whether or not property owners' rights to maximize their investment and exercise freedom to build as they see fit should prevail over homeowners associations and residents concerned with maintaining a neighborhood's traditional aesthetic character while protecting neighboring properties' scenic views and privacy.
Residents fed up with the so-called "mansionization" of their neighborhood are proposing limits that would curb the proliferation of large houses on small lots.
Median home prices in California surged to a record $305,940 in March, up 19 percent from last year. In Arcadia, prices averaged $355,000, up 9.2 percent.
Arcadia City Council decided that Arcadia residents will not be allowed to change their house addresses, despite concerns some have about the fear of the number four. See same story on November 3, 2011, pages S1 and S2 of San Gabriel Valley edition of the San Marino Tribune.
Arcadia housing boom with Chinese dollars? Bloomberg BusinessWeek says kickbacks and Chinese cash deals are fueling the rapid growth of mansions in Arcadia.
Arcadia is praised for its top-scoring schools, ranch-style homes, and lack of ethnic tensions and political turmoil in similar cities like Monterey Park.
The City Council unanimously approved a zone change that would prohibit future lot splits in the Lower Rancho Area. The revision increased the minimum lot size from 15,000 to 20,000 square feet.
In an article reviewing the problems of hillside development in the San Gabriel Valley, Arcadia's problems with Charles Bluth's yet-to-be-built Whispering Pines subdivision are discussed. Excessive runoff caused damage to property below the development.