At the start of 2013, we were feeling cautiously optimistic, which is
how we felt at the beginning of 2012 and 2011 only to be slightly
disillusioned. But oh what a difference
a year makes! All those phone calls,
emails, counter visits are definitely resulting in something tangible. Finally, we can say with some surety that
things are looking up. In fact, the
Planning Staff has had a very busy year and things do not look like they are
slowing down. Despite the length of this post, this is just a brief overview of some of what's been going on here.
Planning
Commission
Let’s start
with the Planning Commission, they reviewed 43 entitlements in 2013 a 35%
increase over 2012. Too numerous to
mention all of them, some of the highlights include:
Monrovia’s first microbrewery—or any brewery for
that matter—Pacific Plate located at 1999 South Myrtle Avenue was approved at
the beginning of the year and opened their doors a few months ago. Hope you got a chance to try their "Christmas in a glass".
 |
| 5th & Huntington |
A new 154-unit apartment building at the corner
of 5th & Huntington Drive was approved in the spring. Construction plans are now being reviewed by
the City and the developer is planning on breaking ground in the spring of
2014. This will be a huge change for
that corner and will make a terrific entry statement for Monrovia.
Del Taco is under construction at 945 East
Huntington Drive, next to Fast5Xpress car wash which is also well under
way. Both businesses should be open in
several months. This was truly a
collaborative process involving the residents of the mobile home park to the
north, the developer, City Staff and also Duarte’s staff (since the City of Duarte
owns half the street).
 |
| Del Taco |
 |
| Fast5Xpress |
 |
| New Restaurants in Huntington Oaks |
Chipotle, Smashburger, Panera have opened in a beautiful new building that replaced Acapulco in the Huntington Oaks Shopping Center. Menchie’s frozen yogurt will be joining them soon.
Additionally, an expanded Union 76 service station and Giving Hands
thrift store both received their approvals this year. A 21-unit and 4-unit Planned Unit Development
were approved at 1323 South Magnolia Avenue and 535 West Lemon Avenue,
respectively. The 18-unit Ivy at
Monrovia condominiums should be completed mid-Winter 2014.
 |
| Ivy at Monrovia (Olive side) |
 |
| Ivy at Monrovia (Ivy side) |
Old Town continues to attract new restaurants. Planet Cookie has transformed into
Meridian. S’Links at the south end of
Old Town along with a new Japanese and bar and grill will make the 600 Block a
hot dining destination. Travel the world
of food in the 600 Block.
Current
Planning
 |
| Popeye's |
Not every project, plan or permit is required to go before the
Planning Commission. The overwhelming
majority of development is reviewed at a staff level. From building remodels to landscape plans to
new signage, the Planning counter has been busy this year. Several existing businesses have completed or
are in the process of doing major remodeling projects. Popeye’s Chicken, the MonArc shopping center
on Duarte Road (we’re still having trouble not referring to it as “the Super A
center”) and AW Collision Center on South Mountain—big improvements to those
buildings.
 |
| What's left of Wendy's |
 |
| New Signs in Foothill Park Plaza |
Wendy’s in
the Foothill Park Plaza is undergoing its transformation…and speaking of
Foothill Park Plaza, there have been several upgrades in 2013—new paint,
parking lot improvements and a whole new sign program.
 |
| Literally, driving up the wall...in a good way |
We’re happy
to see that the car business is getting better too, both Sierra Chrysler Dodge
Jeep Ram (that’s a mouthful) and Mini Cooper completed big remodels. Check out their new “sign”. It puts a whole new spin to driving up the
wall. We weren’t sure about it on paper,
but really like it in person. Watch for
further changes to Auto Row in 2014…big changes.
Historic
Preservation
 |
| 505 North Alta Vista Avenue |
The Historic
Preservation Commission reviewed two new historic landmarks for the register:
#128 at 201 Acacia Avenue and #129 at 505 North Alta Vista Avenue. The Commission is also responsible for
reviewing and approving exterior changes to the City’s 129 historic
landmarks. If the Commission determines that
the proposed change is consistent with the architectural and historic character
of the property, a Certificate of Appropriateness (C of A) can be
approved. Eight C of A’s were approved
this year. As a “working Commission”,
the Commissioners are often requested to serve on subcommittees to work out
specific details. Despite the apparent
lack of progress on a couple projects, both the renovation of the Aztec Hotel
and the complete remodel of the building at 316 South Myrtle Avenue have relied
on their expertise. We expect to see
some visible progress on both properties over the next few months.
Advance
Planning
Also known
as long range Planning, this section of the Division is responsible for the
update of the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. In addition to a couple of project-specific
amendments to the City’s General Plan, the primary focus in 2013 was the update
of the Housing Element. Over the year a
consultant was hired to assist in the preparation of the Element. This included a community workshop as well as
a citywide survey was conducted earlier this year. Public hearings will be held by the Planning
Commission and City Council in early 2014.
Filming
Our staff
processed an agreement to turn over the day-to-day activities related to
monitoring film production in the Monrovia to FilmL.A., a non-profit
organization to promote filming in Los Angeles County. Working as adjunct staff, they will take over
much of the legwork required in processing permits for filming production…at no
cost to the City.
Transportation
The City’s
flagship transit program, Monrovia Transit dial-a-ride provided over 50,000
trips in 2013. Watch for new vehicles in
2014. The City’s portion of Proposition
C monies (one of three countywide ½ cent transportation taxes) funded the
resurfacing of the majority of Olive Avenue.
Gold Line
construction is going full steam ahead and while the City’s Public Works
Department is taking the lead on the interface with the new light rail system, many
of the City’s divisions, including Planning, have been involved. We’re all feeling the pain of construction, but
in the end, we’re confident that this will be a great thing for Monrovia and
the San Gabriel Valley.
Well, there
you have a very brief…ok not so brief overview of what’s been going on around “the
counter.” Although we’re not prone to
make resolutions, we are striving to blog more often. So stay tuned, there’s going to be a lot
more good stuff coming soon.
Happy New
Year!
