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.
Longden Avenue in Arcadia has had a lot of street construction over the last three years, including construction of wheelchair ramps, missing sidewalks, palm trees removed, and new 30 inch water main.
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.
Arcadia City Council has put out a design contract for landscaping and streetscape design on Baldwin Avenue between Duarte Road and Naomi Avenue. The contract went to Willdan, not to exceed $64,410. Another project proposes widening of the street to four lanes, 75 feet from curb to curb, with landscaped median, curb parking and additional landscaping, along with street resurfacing, to cost $380,000.
Arcadia’s First Avenue Middle School student-actors are out of this world. The school’s Production class of 2019 has been preparing the entire fall semester for its upcoming play “Out of This World,” to be performed December 6 and 7 in the First Avenue auditorium. The theater teacher is Susi Reck. The theater program at First Avenue has four different levels.
Traffic conditions at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Fifth Avenue have caused the city councils of Arcadia and Monrovia to approve a resolution for $30,670 to widen the intersection.
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.
The City Council has authorized a study to determine whether Live Oak Avenue meets redevelopment law requirements of being a blighted area and whether to include businesses along Live Oak in the central city redevelopment district.
First Avenue Middle School program "Exploratory Wheel" allows students to rotate through four electives--art, drama, industrial technology and home economics--to discover their interests and strengths, in 6th grade.
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.