City officials of Arcadia and Monrovia are keeping an eye on the financial struggles of Adelphia, one of two cable television providers in the two cities.
Tim Schwehr, City of Arcadia's Economic Development Analyst, highlights Downtown Arcadia's new Business-Friendly Zoning Code, adopted November 2016 as part of a comprehensive citywide zoning update, with the goal of bringing more mixed use development to the area and incentivizing adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
City Council candidates running in the April 14th election give their views on how Arcadia can encourage growth and attract new businesses to the city.
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.
The Massage Therapist Regulations ordinance, approved November 5 by City Council, places regulations on the licensing of massage therapists and the activities of businesses offering massage services. It regulates business hours, uniforms, customers' bodily coverings and suggestive ads.
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.
In 1993 the Arcadia City Council and the Redevelopment Agency implemented the Comprehensive Revitalization Strategy Program designed to bring new economic developments to the downtown district. The streetscape construction project has been completed and the revitalization is on-going with the Commercial Facade Rehabilitation Program (CFRP) providing financial assistance for storefront improvements.
LA County moves to yellow tier as rate of new COVID cases falls again. Los Angeles County has officially qualified for a move to the least-restrictive yellow tier of the state economic-reopening blueprint, meaning capacity limits will be increased at many businesses and bars will be permitted to reopen indoors.
Weekly statistics released by the state Tuesday showed the county's rate of daily new COVID-19 infections had fallen to 1.6 per 100,000 residents, down from 1.9 last week. Reaching the yellow tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy requires a county to have a new-case rate less than 2 per 100,000 residents, and maintain that level for two consecutive weeks.
The changing face of Arcadia--commercial brokerage firm NAI submits proposal for downtown districts. The City of Arcadia hired NAI to assess the city's five business districts and make recommendations to improve them and bring in appropriate, compatible businesses. See hard copy in VF Business and Industry.
Massage therapists will have to pay a $265 fee to be licensed in Arcadia under a new city ordinance. A background check will be done on applicants and they will be fingerprinted.
At the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce's annual Power Planning Conference on January 24, City of Arcadia's City Manager, Dominic Lazzaretto, provided optimism to the local business community during this time of economic uncertainties. He said 25% of Arcadia's $48 million in annual revenue comes from local businesses--with nearly $10 million from sales taxes and another $2 million-plus from licenses and permits. The City has proposed a new business assistance program ombudsman to help entrepreneurs with the start-up process, is working with Chamber of Commerce to create a more interactive one-stop business checklist, and has not increased the cost of a business permit.
The city welcomes construction of two office buildings at 225 and 255 Santa Clara Street. The buildings will be occupied by the law firm of Hart, Mieras, Morris and Peale, LLP, and Los Angeles District Church of the Nazarene.
Rusnak Mercedes-Benz has moved from Pasadena to the old Foulger Ford property at 55 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia. A photo shows city officials and top business people at the ribbon cutting on the site.