Friend of CHOA,
Rezoning is up for a vote at City Council, on Tuesday, Feb. 6th! If you have not already, this is one of the key times to send your email or letter to City Council, and/or come to speak with a public comment before City Council votes on this Rezoning change.
As this is the beginning of Black History month, we look to Coretta Scott King for inspiration, when she said:
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured
by the compassionate action of its members.”
It’s time to act. It’s time to speak — on rezoning in Arcadia — to build more housing in Arcadia. And it is also a time to pray. More details are below.
Thank you for using your voice and advocacy…which will directly allow housing to be built in Arcadia.
Peace,
–Mike Veerman
CHOA Team Lead
Rezoning – Vote at City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 6th
The vote is finally here! Rezoning is one of the 2 key votes City Council will make this year. The goal is to build more residential units in Arcadia. This will increase housing by 3,000+, and allow for 1,000 affordable housing units to be built as well. This is the time to clearly explain to City Council why the faith community wants more housing – and more affordable housing – in Arcadia.
This is all part of the Housing Element, where the State of California is mandating all the cities to allow for more housing to be built, including affordable housing. It will be great to see Arcadia do its part. We need to remind City Council that the faith community wants more housing in Arcadia. We will not rip up and replace single-family homes. This plan will use land much more efficiently: The plan is mainly to use the mixed-use development approach, with commercial use on the bottom, and 4-5 floors of residential units above. The goal of this rezoning is to allow residential units to be built in areas where once commercial buildings were allowed. The secondary goal is to just increase the density that is currently zoned — to allow for more residential units in the same area. The affordable housing units will be designated for individuals and families in the Very Low and Low Income levels (see the chart below). These new residential units will last for generations. This will last for 45 years for condos, and 55 years for apartments.
As a reminder – on how faith is connected to housing – from the Christian tradition, we read in Genesis Chapter 1 that God has created the land. God has a say on how land is used; and it is not just for profit, but for people. In so many places in the Bible, God expresses his concern for those who are vulnerable. Just read Isaiah Chapter 1 as an example. God is asking his people to speak for those that are on the margins.
There are just so many people struggling with housing costs. Here are some examples: Young folks just starting off after college, juggling college debt, entry salaries, and realizing how much rent and a house costs. Our young families — trying to make ends meet — are still trying to afford a home. Our elderly – with fixed incomes – cannot keep up with rising rents. Our older generations are also holding on to their homes, as selling and paying property tax on a new home is just too much. The exchange of buying and selling homes is at a stand still. We need more housing so there is not such a shortage of housing supply, and we need more housing options (condos, apartments and yes, single-family homes) where folks can find what is best for them.
To read more about the Housing Element, Rezoning, and the upcoming vote on the Inclusionary Ordinance, see the CHOA webpage below.
https://choaarcadia.org/efforts
You can also read the excellent information that the city has provided on the Housing Element at the web page below, from the City website. Also, see the public hearing notice at the end of this email.
https://www.arcadiaca.gov/housing
If you would like to see the actual map of all the areas where the rezoning will take place, see the link below.
Below is the chart of how the 3,214 new residential units will be broken down by the 6 Strategies (see last 6 rows below), and by Income Level (see the 5 columns across). This spreads out the new housing in many places around Arcadia (see the map link above), and provides folks at different income levels to get housing.
This is the time to write to City Council, by email or letter! Your voice will make a difference. You can even join CHOA to make public comment on Tuesday, Feb. 6th at 7pm, in the City Council chambers. We are purposely not providing you a template to just copy and send to City Council. We want you to write your own personal story and explanation on why you want more housing and affordable housing in Arcadia. We have given some key points above. To reach all City Councilmembers, you can use this email: CityCouncil@ArcadiaCA.gov. If you like to email your District City Councilmember, we have the list below.
