HomeMy WebLinkAboutMaterials Handed Out at Meeting (2)Arcadia Improvement Association
Arcadia City Council Study Session
Tuesday August 19, 2014
Walbern Group — Mixed Use Proposal
The Arcadia Improvement Association would like to thank Matt Waken and the Walbern Group
for attending our Board meeting last Thursday to give a presentation on the proposed Mixed
Use Apartment Complex on the City Parking Lot on Wheeler between First and Santa Anita.
Projects such as this are what we have been anticipating being brought to the City of Arcadia.
We feel that projects that follow the City's General Plan and are Transit Oriented Developments
near the Gold Line Station will be a positive move for the Downtown Arcadia Area.
The AIA Board met for some time to discuss the project. We would like to bring a few items to
the attention of the City Council.
I. The project is very large and is asking for an additional 30 units per acre over what the
General Plan has as a maximum residential density in the Downtown Mixed Use area.
Does the City feel this is a good precedent for the first major development for the
Downtown? For the first phase, there is only 6000 square feet of retail and much of that
is for the project. The main retail area would be for phase two along Santa Anita.
2. The parking proposal for the project seems fine for today, but does not take into
consideration the future parking needs for the downtown area. What plan does the City
have address future parking needs for the downtown? At this time, the City has been
generous in granting parking credits for businesses, but what are we going to be able to
do for parking as the area grows? If this project or one like this does develop in this
area, what plans would be made to help with all the parking that would be lost during
construction? Would the city consider building a Parking Structure somewhere in the
Downtown Zone if the need was warranted?
3. The AIA thinks it would be a good idea to have a prominent and enticing walk- through
feature from Wheeler to the south side of the development to the businesses along
Huntington Drive. This could be a direct access way from Huntington to the Gold Line
station.
4. We would suggest that there be an attractive design on the south side street level side
of the project. Also, is there enough access to the parking lot.
5. We would like to make sure that when the City considers this proposal or others like it,
that they are focused on the best possible use for the area in terms of land value and
usage. The City will be leasing the land to Walbern for approximately 50 to 75 years; we
would like to make sure that this is a win -win for all the citizens of the City of Arcadia.
6. The AIA would like to have an active role in the Downtown. We would like to be
invlolved directly with Planning, Design Review of Mixed Use Projects, New Commercial
Construction and Parking issues.
The recommendation from the Arcadia Improvement Association is to take into consideration
the points listed above. We feel it is important to work together on all Downtown projects so
that we continue to keep and build a great Arcadia for the future.
Thank you for your time,
Matt McSweeny
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WHEELER AVE.
WALBERN DEVELOPMENT USA, INC
29211 Rancho Viejo Road, Soft 107
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
ARCADIA, CA
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