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.
Arcadia City Council made three appointments to the Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association (AIA) board of directors. They are Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager and Development Services Director, Tim Schwehr, the city's Economic Development Analyst, and Peter Amundson, City Council member.
New development and businesses in Downtown Arcadia. The Metro Gold Line train has brought renewed success and energy to Downtown Arcadia. A mixed-use project near the Gold Line's Arcadia station will include over 16,000 square feet of commercial space, 38 residential units, and 110 new parking spaces are under construction, as is a 4,000 square foot Art Deco style office building at 130 S. First Avenue. Last year, Mr. Lowe Brewing Co. opened Arcadia's first microbrewery and in July, Vendome Wine & Spirits opened at 103 E. Santa Clara St. Article by Mayor Peter Amundson.
Arcadia Downtown Street Market now on Saturdays, 5-9 PM. It is run by Green Leaf Events on First Avenue between Santa Clara Street and Huntington Drive.
4th Annual Downtown Arcadia Patriotic Festival, an Independence Day celebration, takes place on First Avenue between Bonita Street and Diamond Street, Sunday, July 1, 5-9 PM.
Downtown Arcadia businesses create "Community Benefit District." Each business owner would pay extra in property taxes to go into a fund to better market the area to customers and visitors. With the Gold Line Station at North First Avenue and East Santa Clara Street scheduled to open in 2015, efforts to help brand the area have been fast-tracked.
Holly Avenue Elementary is the first school in Arcadia to test a year-round program for students. The year-round school began in 1995. Parents are questioning if other schools should follow.
Downtown 2000: is the CFRP making a difference? In 1993, Arcadia City Council and the Redevelopment agency implemented the Comprehensive Revitalization Strategy and Program, a project designed to bring a new economic vitality to the downtown district. One of the main components of the program is the Commercial Facade Rehabilitation Program (CFRP), which provides financial assistance to downtown merchants for store-front improvements. Garlan Roberson received $11,000 from the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency for improvements to his business, Sullivan's Paints. Since the facade improvements, Roberson says business has increased significantly.
The city is fighting against paying an additional $400,000 in legal costs to Sully-Miller's attorney for the Downtown 2000 project in which the city cancelled the contract with Sully-Miller and settled for $1.25 million.
The Arcadia City Council approved an ordinance amendment loosening store display restrictions and decided to maintain the first floor retail restrictions on buildings in the downtown business district.
First Avenue Middle School welcomes new principal Semeen Issa. Dr. Issa had been assistant principal at the school for the past 6 years and this will be her 17th year at First Avenue Middle School.
Arcadia City Council voted 4-to-0 to pass a new food hall plan for Downtown Arcadia at 33 West Huntington Drive. The food hall will contain seven to eight different food vendors of a pre-existing building, while the upper floors will continue to operate as self-storage units. One of the project goals is to preserve the existing building and keep the midcentury look of it, according to City of Arcadia Senior Economic Development Analyst Tim Schwehr.
The City Council gave a first reading to an ordinance that would allow the FrontRunner restaurant at Santa Anita Park race track to be open year round instead of just during the race season.
About 220 Holly Avenue School students are already on the year-round schedule, currently in its 7th year of year-round instruction. Principal Bill Robinson invites local residents to an informational meeting about the school's year-round educational program.
Largest mixed-use residential and retail property taking shape in Arcadia. Pacific Plaza is under construction at Duarte Road and First Avenue. It is estimated at 200,000 s.f. and stands 3 stories tall.