City Council To Continue Discussion, Review of Route 66 Development

The hot topic in Glendora, development, may be put under the microscope starting Tuesday as the City Council will discuss a review and possible alterations to the Route 66 Specific Plan.

The Jan. 13 discussion may also include the planning of a town hall meeting to address the concerns of the public regarding the frequency and type of development being undertaken in town.

With development of other various projects in town fresh on the Council’s minds, Glendora Mayor Judy Nelson initiated idea of a town hall discussion at the Dec. 9, 2014, City Council meeting as a means for residents to have an active role in discussing development, city staff said.

On her official website, Nelson expressed concern regarding certain aspects of the Specific Plan.

“The Plan does not allow for set-backs of more than 10 feet, which requires buildings to be close to the sidewalk with minimal landscaping,” Nelson said. “The Plan also allows for 5 story construction, which can block views of the foothills.”

Nelson also urged concerned residents to make an effort and become more involved regarding the discussion of development by visiting future City Council Meetings.

At the Dec. 9 meeting, Council member Joe Santoro believed that a review of the nearly 12-year-old Route 66 Specific Plan would be beneficial in possibly updating rules regarding development, staff said.

CIty staff cited the recent study by True North Research which, in a phone survey of 400 Glendora residents, found that 75 percent “expressed confidence in the city’s management of growth and development,” a 10 percent decrease, though, from the 2011 survey.

Adopted in 2003, the Route 66 Specific Plan was started in the year 2000 after the formation of the Alosta Corridor Committee.

The Committee was comprised of 20 members of the community and helped to formulate land use ideas.

The intention was to revitalize the Route 66 corridor over a 20-year period with a set of zoning guidelines which helped set forth a uniform land plan and uniform set of design guidelines.

Revitalization meant increasing the job base of Route 66 and to increase housing densities that the Committee believed would make the area attract businesses and other services.

The Committee, however, seemed counterproductive to its own cause after hiring a company in 2002 to create a market analysis of the Route 66 corridor, according to information found in city documents.

The market analysis by Stanley R. Hoffman Associates stated, at that time, that there was not enough demand for significant new retail, with a lack of housing, employment, insignificant nearby college population and visitors to attract community type anchor stores.

The analysis also played down the idea of a “restaurant row” being beneficial for Route 66, instead concluding that expanding the population base long-term with multi-family housing and mixed-sue development was the way to attract businesses.

The City Council meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday, January 13, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 116 E. Foothill Blvd.

To read an overview of all projects in town, visit the Planning Department’s webpage to find more.

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