Seeing is Believing
So,
over the past couple of weeks we reminded
you that it is National Community Planning Month and that “Planning is Essential
to Recovery.” Then we showed you our building blocks of Planning.
No not those building blocks. Our building blocks are the General
Plan Elements which are our foundation to Planning. But if there was ever the
time for perseverance and resilience it is now, during the global pandemic. Although
these times seem dire in the world, there is still plenty to celebrate. Seeing is believing, you say? Well, get on
your feet! If you have not taken a walk around Monrovia recently you
might be surprised to find some of the fruits of our labor.
The City is busy as
ever and has made some changes to serve its residents and businesses. Today
Monrovia businesses can operate outside with a TOBO permit. No, not Toto (though
outdoor dining is pretty darn dog-friendly)! Residents can continue to eat and
drink at their favorite restaurants with proper, socially distant outdoor
dining. HUGE shout out (woot-woot!) to our Neighborhood and Business Services
team for implementing and processing 32 TOBOs since July!The Planning Division has also been busy as ever helping
projects get approved. Maybe you’ve noticed… .
For
example, have you noticed any small changes near the southern entrance to Old
Town? I’ll give you a hint, it’s a just a small 6-story mixed use development,
no big deal (just kidding… it’s actually a VERY big deal!). If you guessed the
Avalon project then you are a winner!!! The Avalon project will contain 154
apartment units and 3,500 square feet of ground floor retail space.
But as much as we are
in awe of the big projects like Avalon Monrovia, our smaller projects are just
as important to the community. These projects are spread throughout the City
and some of them are just getting started, like the 3 new two-story units at
518 East Olive Avenue, which has just finished the demolition of the lot.And some are almost finished, such as this 4-unit
condominium project at 1224 South Alta Vista Avenue.
And a few are just
getting off the ground, like 525 South Shamrock Avenue, which will modify the
old market into a small Auto Museum with two residential apartments on top. Or the
old Frontier Building in Old Town. This large 4-story building is being
renovated to include ground floor commercial tenant spaces with a self-storage
facility on top for everyone to store all of the quarantine items you have
purchased over the last half year!
So keep any eye out the next time you take an evening stroll
around town and you too can believe by seeing that Monrovia is still going
strong! And remember, we are in this together.
