Alhambra’s Future Growth Plan Ignores Preservation

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LEAH CEDULA ANTHONY DOLLENTAS Staff Writers

 

The city of Alhambra recently constructed a long-lasting blueprint for the future. It is a general plan mainly focusing on the city’s future growth. However, the plan did not include any protections for historic preservation. It also did not incorporate specific measures such as undertaking a citywide survey of historic resources, forming a cultural resources commission or applying to become an official local government. Residents who value Alhambra’s historical structures opposed this plan. In addition, members of the Alhambra Preservation Group, a local nonprofit, publicized their opinion on the matter.

“We were disheartened to see that those items had been removed from the report because they were things we’ve been advocating for for years,” Alhambra Preservation Group Vice President Joyce Amaro said.

Currently, Alhambra has not established any historic protection measures due to the lack of input from the city’s population. According to Alhambra Source, only 360 people out of about 86,000 participated in a general survey concerning their needs. Scott Chan, one of the commissioners, stated that the city’s low input was notably concerning.

“If we’re talking about the most linguistically isolated – the folks who are hardest to reach in this community – things need to be done in Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese,” Chan added.

Chan believes that language barriers may be preventing all Alhambra citizens from speaking their minds. Alhambra was initially required by California law to create a general plan to satisfy housing needs. However, commissioners were unsure of how historic protection would affect that, according to the Alhambra Source. As a result, both historic protection and people’s housing needs have been left unfulfilled.

“Alhambra’s historical buildings are important to our city because they help preserve our history,” senior Erick Munoz said. L.A. Conservancy Director Adrian Scott Fine stated during a meeting with the APG that historic preservation was necessary to refine local preservation efforts and lift property values. The Planning Commission held another meeting on Feb.

4 to discuss matters further. Councilmember Katherine Lee asked the city manager to seek advice from cities like Pasadena and Monterey Park.