June 15, 2019 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Acknowledgments
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail reminders

Attendees

6 members

Acknowledgments

JoAnn brought fresh from the oven muffins.  Susan brought buttery TJs “palmiers”.

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:23 am

  • Meeting about Home Depot (fmr Avon) development, Tues 6/18
    • Councilmember Gene Masuda is holding a community meeting for his District to present and discuss the plans Home Depot has submitted to the City for re-development of the property it purchased from Avon.
    • The City’s Planning Director, David Reyes, will be presenting the plans.
    • The meeting is
      Tuesday June 18
      6:30 – 8:00 pm
      PCC-CEC, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd (corner of Santa Paula Ave)
      “Complimentary Parking Available” (but it’s an easy walk from our neighborhood)
    • The property at issue is on the south side of Foothill, north of Walnut, from the 210 freeway west to Daisy Ave at Walnut and to Pasadena Pets along Foothill.
    • Home Depot (possibly with some other partners) purchased the property from Avon in December 2016 or January 2017.
    • Home Depot wants to develop a store on the property.  They will also use it for other purposes because the property is considerably larger then needed for just a Home Depot.  A big question/issue is what the other uses will be.
    • Home Depot might have had a hard time getting a store permitted under the new zoning for the property approved in August 2015.  However, the previous zoning would allow it, so if they can re-use enough of the existing buildings and infrastructure to successfully claim it is a “tenant improvement”, then they can get the building permits much more quickly, easily, and inexpensively then trying to tear down and build new.
    • The last information we received about their tentative plans was at the beginning of last October, summarized here:
      eewna.org/2018/10/october-20-neighborhood-meeting-summary/#Avon
  • Status of Space Bank project
    • The California State’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is presumably now evaluating and responding to the comments, and hopefully revising the Removal Action Workplan.  Do not know when to expect the result.
    • No toxic remediation will begin until after the final document is issued.
    • Meanwhile, some opponents of the project have been raising funds for a lawsuit against whatever cleanup plan is issued.  They say they have an experienced lawyer ready to go.  An alarmist flyer was dropped on at least some doorsteps a few weeks ago.
    • This week a slick 4-sided flyer produced by the developer arrived in the mail.  Don’t know how widely it was mailed, but undoubtedly to every address in our neighborhood.  It aims to refute some of the claims of opponents of the proposed toxics cleanup.  Says they are paying for the cleanup, no matter how much it costs, even though they didn’t make the mess.  Interestingly, it refers to “we” a lot, without actually saying who “we” is.  The return address uses the name of the legal corporate entity created for the development project, but most people will not recognize that name.
  • Status of anti-mansionization proposals
    • Pasadena’s Planning  Department has been tasked since late 2014 with putting together tighter building regulations for single family homes to reduce the “mansionization” effect of huge new/remodeled houses overwhelming their surroundings and affecting the privacy of neighbors.  Stricter rules for hillside areas and Lower Hastings Ranch were approved years ago, but the rest of the City outside of special districts, which were supposed to be an urgent priority, has been waiting.
    • A summary of the process before this year is here: eewna.org/2019/02/february-16-neighborhood-meeting-summary/#mansionization
    • The Planning Commission hearing that was initially scheduled for February was cancelled and rescheduled several times. It was finally quietly rescheduled and took place on May 22.
    • The staff’s proposed regulations presented on May 22 were severely scaled back from last year’s, which most Planning Commissioners thought were excessive.
    • Now the proposed changes to existing rules amount to a few fairly minor revisions that will make little difference.
    • According to a brief report from Pasadena Heritage, the Commissioners had mixed reactions to the new proposal;  maybe this is too limited.  Apparently, staff will now consider further changes to the proposed revisions and then take the matter to the City Council.
  • Phone # for problems on Edison property
    • The high tension electric wires (those wires high up, running north-south here, on the big structures) are owned and operated by Southern California Edison (SCE).  Any issues with them need to be reported to Edison.
    • SCE also owns the land under those high tension wires.
    • Adjacent to our neighborhood, that’s immediately west of Avocado Ave, the east side of Vina Vieja Park, and some of the PCC-CEC parking lot.
    • As lessees, the City and PCC-CEC are required to maintain the park and the parking lot, so they should be contacted about problems in those areas.
    • For issues that arise on the land from Avocado Ave west to the fence just west of the high wires, Edison is responsible.  We are instructed to call (800) 655-4555 to report problems.  They are supposed to create a trouble ticket and forward it to the correct department.  You are supposed to be able to use the trouble ticket number to follow up if needed.
    • (The land between the Edison wires and Eaton Wash belongs to the City).
    • Obviously, if there is an emergency situation, such as a fire, or someone climbing a tower who isn’t obviously a utility worker, call 911.
  • Lamanda Park Specific Plan Workshop July 18
    • The Lamanda Park Specific Plan area is bounded on the east by Eaton Wash, includes the properties on the south side of Colorado Blvd, on the west by Roosevelt and Vista Aves (excluding the massive housing development next to Vons), and on the north by properties on the north side of Foothill plus to the freeway along Altadena Dr, La Tierra St on the west side of San Gabriel Blvd, and to White St along Vista Ave.  See map here:  ourpasadena.org/lamanda-park
    • This is a new plan area created from portions of the previous East Pasadena and East Colorado Specific Plans.
    • The City’s Planning & Community Development Dept staff, and consultants, will be holding the Round 2 workshop to show and discuss concept ideas for design and land use regulations in the Lamanda Park zone.
      Thursday July 18, 2019
      6:00 – 8:00 pm
      at Learning Works
      90 N. Daisy Ave (corner of N. Daisy and E. Walnut St)
  • E-waste and Document Shredding – June 29
    • Pasadena City’s next quarterly E-waste collection and document shredding event for Pasadena residents:
      Saturday June 29, 2019
      9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
      Brookside Park, Parking Lot I (South of the Rose Bowl loop).
    • Shredding limit is now 3 legal size boxes.
    • Proof of Pasadena residency may be required.
    • Accepting and shredding stops if the shred truck fills up before 3 pm.
  • Local Crime Summary
    • For the last month in our neighborhood, from crimemapping.com: (note that time is typically when reported, not when it happened)
      • Mon Jun 3, 8:35 am am, 3100 block E. Foothill Blvd, Petty Theft
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss

Next EEWNA meeting is July 20, 2019 at 11:15 am, in Hastings Branch Library meeting room

Adjourned about 12:50 pm