First published in the Sept. 1 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
I have been going to the La Cañada City Council meetings and now the Planning Commission regarding the Housing Element Draft.
Almost every time that the Housing Element is on the calendar at No. 2 or 3, once the meeting is started, it is moved to the very last item. I try to be there at 6 p.m. and by the time that “Element” is finally introduced, it is usually almost 8:30 or 9 p.m. By then, many of our friends who came out to listen or speak are leaving, as this is not the time listed.
Why is this group always sent to the end of the list, when we follow the rules and get there on time and then are made to wait through every other subject that is on the list?
We filled the council meeting room again this last Thursday, and then, without knowing until the meeting started that they would move it to the very end. If we knew that would happen, we would appear later, but don’t want to miss it if it is still listed as No. 2.
I am part of the TLC (Together La Cañada). We have formed this group to let the people of La Cañada know what is occurring each time, including all of the changes that the commission and council have made every meeting. We are very much against the 600 Foothill property density, and just two weeks ago, the Council said they would not allow a three-story building there and all the traffic at that intersection.
Now, they are allowing it again and have increased the number of the density from 25-30 dwellings to 46 or 47 total units. We, the citizens of La Cañada, realize that that corner with Arco is one of the worst corners in the city. The other dwelling units they also want to approve on the south side is the House America clock building at 1010 Foothill, another very tight location at Chevy Chase, where there is a short area to get on the freeway at Angeles Crest.
We don’t need this space on the south side of Foothill where you can hardly turn in or out of the corners. There are many other places on the north side of Foothill, that has the freeway as a buffer to keep the area less busy. We hoped the commissioners would approve the Housing Element Plan with the correction of densities and the earlier positions of the council.
How many developers working here in our city are really homeowners in the city? They must understand how we feel about our city and want the best for it.
We had more than 20 citizens of La Cañada make speeches to the commissioners stating all this until about 9-10 p.m., yet nothing seems to change their minds. At the end, they just moved it again for another evening. So, we will have to get our group together and work harder to make them understand.
Dorothy Juett
La Cañada Flintridge
