COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Pasadena City Council Joint Meeting With District Supervisor Shows Results
Special Section: Summer Camps, Education & Enrichment Guide
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THURSDAY, APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2019
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VOL. 8, , NO. 14
CALIFORNIA’S NEW ‘GOLD RUSH’ IS TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Communities are experiencing ‘unprecedented’ development interest
For developers wanting to expand and cash in on the prototype of mixed-use properties located near Metro’s Gold Line , this indeed is the new gold-mining, Transit Oriented Development. - Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
T
he discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 generated what became the “California Gold Rush.” Conceivably, this was one of the most important events to shape American history during the first half of the 19th century which sprouted California’s population explosion. Have you noticed the number of new apartment buildings/ mixed-use complexes being erected near light rail stations in San Gabriel Valley and other cities all over the United States? It’s a relatively new and this is the new, unadulterated ‘Gold Rush’ for California. For developers wanting to cash in on the prototype of mixed-use properties located near, or in some cases right next to Metro’s Gold Line and the continued expansion, this indeed is the new gold-mining - Transit Oriented Development or TOD. Locally it started in Pasadena at the turn of the century and now that Gold Rush has now spread to cities like Monrovia where developments like MODA have sparked some mixedreaction from residents. Many have questioned the changing
architectural values within the city limits. As a way of helping residents understand the rash of growth, Monrovia’s city manager, Oliver Chi, launched a new website to “provide more information on the unprecedented development interest taking place in Monrovia, the City has spent the last few months creating a new website focused on helping residents and businesses not only learn more about each project that is being considered, but also answer questions about the impacts these development may have on the community. The website includes pages on all the major areas of concern, such as: • Parking. • Traffic. • Affordable Housing. • Water. • Public Safety.” Four major projects -which will apparently provide over 1000 residential apartment units as well as a hotel project – are all in the works for Monrovia alone. The idea of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has been around for some time. It was architect, Peter Calthorpe’s concept in 1982.
Which was then picked up by like-minded municipal designers with a handful of projects which linked transit to mixed-use walkable centers in the following two decades—and then TOD took off as a major real estate trend in the mid-2000s. “TOD primarily occurs when regional or local governments encourage it through land use planning, zoning laws, and changes to building codes, among other things. When a TOD coincides with a federally funded transit project, FTA may provide financial assistance, technical assistance, training, and other resources to complement the regional or local TOD,” according to The Federal Transit Administration’s website transit.dot.gov. With a studio apartment - 620 square feet - starting at $2,200 and a two-bedroom at almost $3,000 plus, MODA in Monrovia, which is right next to the Gold Line station, hopes to fill those luxury aparments. Nevertheless, it’s¬ not just Monrovia, cities all along the Gold Line route are rushing to grab the developers’ monies. With the Foothill Extension continuing east, more and SEE GOLD RUSH PAGE 4