Arcadia Depot and Oakwood Hotel historical marker dedication January 26 at Arcadia Transit Plaza, the former site of Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's Arcadia Depot. It is the Arcadia Historical Society's 11th History Lives Here historical marker.
Arcadia Seabiscuit Pacifica Project-Phase 2 calls for revised mixed-use project. Arcadia City Council decided on July 3 they want to see more artists' renderings of what Phase 2 will ultimately look like, before going ahead with the $300 million hotel project on the former Santa Anita inn site. The applicant Chateau Group is also requesting to merge the two abutting properties a 100 and 180 West Huntington Drive into the Specific Plan area and change the General Plan Land use Designation from "Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Downtown Mixed Use," to revise the General Plan Land Use Map to reflect the changes, rezone the properties from "General Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Seabiscuit Pacifica Specific Plan," and include a Height Overlay of H8 on 180 West Huntington Drive to allow a portion of the mixed-use building on that property. The Santa Anita Inn was a 2-story hotel comprised of 6 buildings, 110 rooms, 34,775 s.f., that was originally constructed in 1955 and remodeled in 1985.
Projected Marriott hotel development breaks ground in 2018; Seqoia trees already down (on site of Santa Anita Inn). The developer did try to save some redwood trees on the site.
Online company Expedia has pulled out of the Arcadia, CA marketplace because of the recently approved Measure D, which adds a 10 percent hotel occupancy tax to services provided by online travel companies.
Arcadia City Council approves Rusnak Mercedes-Benz land sale. The automobile dealership plans $10 million in new construction on its six acres. It will include a new 25,000 s.f. showroom on Santa Anita Avenue.
Metro Gold Line Construction Authority agrees to pay $24 million for a commercial property in Monrovia, to be used as a maintenance yard for the Pasadena to Azusa light rail extension. The 4.5 acres of land, on the southwest corner of Evergreen and Shamrock Avenues, is owned by George Brokate of Excalibur Holdings.
Singpoli, an Arcadia-based investment and development firm, bought a 1.6 acre property at Lake Avenue and Union Street in Pasadena and plans to build a $60 million mixed use project, including a 165-room hotel and condo complex with 60 units. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 11, May 11, 2017.
President Eric Chen of Chateau Group and Robb Macmillan, Development Director, to share plans for new Marriott Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Center to be located directly across from the historic Santa Anita Park Race Track. Construction to start in 2018 and be completed by fourth quarter of 2019. On the site of the former Santa Anita Inn and Ramada Inn.
Local transit authorities are preparing to move forward with the Gold Line Foothill Extension to the Azusa-Glendora border and local cities are planning to place residential and commercial developments along the line. Those developments are intended to prepare for future population growth. The first phase of the extension is slated to be completed by 2014, adding new stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa. Some plans near those stops could be scaled back due to the down economy. Arcadia officials are looking to build commercial developments centered on a planned station just east of Santa Anita Avenue. Arcadia's challenge will be land acquisition. Because Arcadia has ordinances limiting the use of eminent domain, Arcadia officials have to rely on negotiating land deals, a difficult process with limited redevelopment funds.
Arcadia voters consider extending hotel-room tax in the ballot Measure D. It is meant to close a loophole in a city ordinance on the transient tax. Currently, the city imposes a tax rate of 10% of the rent paid by guests to occupy a room up to 30 consecutive days. If the measure passes by a majority vote, the occupancy tax would be imposed the first 90 days of a stay.
New Arcadia city housing standards approved, new zoning codes effective as law May 20, 2016. Included in Arcadia's new standards is a sliding-scale floor-area ratio (FAR) for the first time in the city's history. The FAR is a development tool that helps determine how large a home can be built on any given lot based on a percentage of the land.
A Metro Gold Line deal to purchase land in Monrovia for a maintenance yard for $56 million, from George Brokate, a Marine veteran from Newport Beach, has been reached. This cleared the last major obstacle to the $735 million Pasadena to Azusa Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension. Photo shows the Gold Line bridge over the 210 Freeway in Arcadia under construction.
Real estate pros weigh in on Arcadia home size debate. Explains Arcadia residential land investment. Real estate professional Eric Rosa says big homes are not hurting real estate values and warns that the proposed ballot measure for April 12 to enact tougher limits on square footage, would be policy that can't be overturned by elected officials and would require a ballot initiative in 2018 to rescind voter-approved code amendments.
Goodbye 50-year-old sequoia trees. Hello Marriott development. Santa Anita Inn, including some 50-year-old healthy Seqoia trees, will be demolished for the development of a Marriott hotel with 220 rooms. The Sierra Club thinks minimal consideration was given to the ecology or preservation of the environment. Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager, addressed the environmental concern, stating the city followed a "compliance process (in 2014) with the California Environment Quality Act (CEQA)."
Major changes on tap for Arcadia in the new year. Delta Marriott Hotel slated for the old Santa Anita Inn; Arcadia's tallest building, currently housing Bank of America at 150 N. Santa Anita Avenue, has gone up for sale. The current Arcadia Self Storage at 35 W. Huntington Drive is proposed to become a modern food vendor location, reminiscent of the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles or the Anaheim Packing House.
Marriott seeks two hotels in Arcadia. Andrew Chang, of Continental Assets Management, and owner of Santa Anita Inn, is proposing to build two Marriott hotels on the property. His proposal seeks to add 110 rooms to the West Huntington Drive property and would include a six-story Residence Inn and a four-story Fairfield Inn and Suites (Marriott brands). The Santa Anita Inn was built in 1955. The project will require approval from the Planning Commission and City Council.
Arcadia, Sierra Madre and Bradbury are holding elections today on tax measures and city council members. Arcadia voters will choose two City Council members from the candidates running--Gary Kovacic, John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez, and Mary Dougherty--and vote on Measure D, the extension ofthe hotel room tax from a 30-day maximum to a 90-day stay. Arcadia's election is being conducted through an all-mail ballot for the first time.