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MEMORANDUM
Development Services Department
January 18, 2011
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Servicey, *'
Director
By: Jerry Schwartz, Economic Development Manager,. '
Subject: Arcadia Downtown Business Association
BACKGROUND
Downtown Arcadia represents the central business district of the community. Even with the
success of Santa Anita Mall and the growth of the businesses and restaurants on Baldwin
�w Avenue, the area around First Avenue and Huntington Drive has survived. The Agency invested
in the area with the Arcadia Downtown 2000 improvements, which included landscaping, street
lights, and street furniture. There was a short lived farmer's market on First Avenue, which ran
from April 1998 until April 1999. Overall, there has been limited new construction in the area
due mostly to only smaller vacant lots remaining. The recession has left a larger number of
vacancies in the downtown, creating pressure for non -tax generating uses such as massage
parlors and tutoring centers.
CURRENT SITUATION
Downtown Arcadia will be the location for the Gold Line Station and Parking Structure, bringing
new people to the area. Downtown was one of the focal points of the recently completed
General Plan, with higher intensity and mixed use reflecting the impact of the Gold Line and the
opportunity to for new investment. The downtown parking lots are an asset that can be better
utilized, and as a follow up to the General Plan, an RFP is out right now for a downtown parking
study. Recently, the City /Agency has marketed the area through the Shop Arcadia campaign and
the Downtown Restaurant Discount Card promotion that was done in summer 2010.
The current Arcadia Downtown Business Association was initiated by the Chamber of
Commerce and held its first meeting in June 2010. The business community took over
leadership from the Chamber and established a `core group' for planning purposes; it first met in
August 2010. The group established a Mission Statement, Goals, Boundaries for the Business
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Association, Officers and a Board of Directors. The Association meets monthly and has had six
meetings to date. The `core group' also meets monthly and has held seven meetings. The
Arcadia Downtown Business Association has focused on organization and outreach to
businesses. They have also worked to educate themselves by inviting guests from other cities
business districts to learn about successes, failures, and lessons that will help them moving
forward.
NEXT STEPS
The next steps for the Arcadia Downtown Business Association involve their working to
implement their goals. It also presents some options for Agency /City Council involvement,
including;
• Continued Agency staff efforts to work with the Downtown Business Association
(technical assistance)
• Financially assist with outside expertise to work with the Association to help market the
downtown and plan ideas to capitalize on the Gold Line. This could include helping
them with the formation of a Business Improvement District, which could provide them
with ongoing resources
• Contract for a retail recruitment study that would focus on the downtown
• Accelerate the existing Fagade Improvement Program
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Statement by Gary Searer
_. Good evening. My name is Gary Searer.
I am a licensed structural engineer, and I am a resident of
Arcadia. My wife and I have two young children.
I am here to express my concern about the choice of speaker
for the Mayor's Community Breakfast, Mr. H.B. London, Jr.
Mr. London is a Vice President of Focus on the Family.
For those of you who are not familiar with Focus on the Family,
they are a religious group that actively opposes civil rights for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Based on my
research, it appears that Focus on the Family:
• Equates homosexuality with alcoholism, and believes that
homosexuality is "preventable and treatable";
• Advocates for the elimination of the wall of separation
between church and state2;
• Advocates for reparative therapy (therapy aimed at
"converting" gay people )3;
• Claims that anti - bullying laws are part of a "gay agenda Y)4
to "promote homosexuality "5. This is particularly
inappropriate given the recent spate of suicides by
teenagers due to bullying;
• Claims that "homosexual activists [are] infiltrating public
schools "6;
• Opposes court protection of minorities';
• Opposes laws that ban discrimination against gay and
transgender people in housing and public
accommodations$;
• Opposes laws that prohibit employment discrimination
based on sexual orientation9; and
• Claims that transgendered individuals are examples of
"human brokenness "10
I am extremely disappointed that a member of such a
misguided and discriminatory group would be invited to speak
at the Mayor's Community Breakfast on March 4cn
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered family members --
including children -- are threatened and made to feel unsafe in
their schools, workplaces, and places of worship by the hateful
messages of Focus on the Family.
A community breakfast should be inclusive of ALL families, not
just the narrow definition promoted by Focus.
Therefore, I respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision
to have Mr. London speak at the Community Breakfast. I
would suggest instead finding a speaker that represents the
rich cultural diversity of the city of Arcadia.
Thank you.
References:
1.
http:
/ /www.gazette.com /articles /comments- 106578 - bennet -buck html
2.
http:
/ /www.focusonthefamily .com /socialissues /law- and - the -courts /separation -of- church and state /our position aspx
3.
http:
/ /www.focusonthefamily com/ socialissues /sexual - identity /counseling- for - unwanted - same - sex - attractions /our-
position.aspxx
4.
http:
/ /www.denverpost.com /ci 15928224
5.
http://abcnews.go.com
/US /school- anti - bullying- programs- push -gay- agenda - Christian /story ?id -11527833
6.
http://www.focusonthefamilV.com/about
us /profileshim daly /messages /200511 family man asp
7.
http:
/ /www.focusonthefamily .com /socialissues /law- and - the- courts/�udicial- philosophy /talking points aspx
8.
http:
/ /seattletimes .nwsource.com /html /nationworld /2004473028 aptransgenderrights html
9.
http:
/ /www.ontopmag com /article aspx ?id = 4521 &MediaType =1 &Category =26
10.
http:
/ /www.focusonthefamily .com /socialissues /sexual- identity /transgenderism /our position aspx
I*