SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2011

VOLUME 5 NO. 15

In an effort to clear the air on 
what the city intends to do with 
the boarded up Church at 186 
West Highland (at Hermosa), 
Council members Mary Ann 
MacGillivray and Josh Moran, 
along with city staff, met with 
approximately 20 residents on 
Wednesday evening. The purpose 
of the meeting was to listen 
to concerns from residents 
who live near the building and 
the hear what ideas the city had 
on developing the property.

 The building (right) was originally 
a church and after years 
of being vacant, the city eventually 
acquired the property 
with Community Redevelopment 
Agency funds. When 
that purchase was made, it was 
done under the auspices that 
it would be converted to 15 
units of ‘work force housing’. 
The term is used for affordable 
housing created as an incentive 
for people who work in the city 
such as firefighters, police officers, 
teachers, etc., to move to 
Sierra Madre. It is not ‘affordable 
housing’ in the common 
use of the term, but one that 
provides less expensive housing for 
local workers.

 When it was identified last year as 
part of the city’s housing element, 
some residents expressed concern 
about the ‘kind’ of residents that 
would be moving in, i.e., low income 
households. At this point, however, 
the concern appears to be focused 
not on the income levels of the occupants, 
but the impact of 16 new units 
in the area.

 According to one concerned citizen, 
Faith Pincus, the issues are, “Traffic/
parking, which leads to…Safety issues.” 
The property is directly across 
from Sierra Madre School’s lower 
campus. Pincus says, “Highland 
and Hermosa is probably the most 
traffic impacted intersection in Sierra 
Madre. Three times a day you 
can barely get down the street or to 
or from your house, and that’s assuming 
a parent isn’t blocking your 
driveway. Every single person that 
attended the meeting complained 
loudly about the traffic and parking 
problem – it’s bad.” “We live in 
Sierra Madre to avoid traffic and 
parking problems. If we wanted that, 
and a crowded residential area with 
large multi-family projects, we’d buy 
homes somewhere over the hill or 
near the ocean.”

 She continues, “The City’s original 
low-mod income multi-family proposal, 
and their concurrent up-zoning 
placed into the new “housing element” 
of the proposed General Plan, 
will allow for 16 units on a 15,000 
square foot lots. That’s absurd! In 
most of Sierra Madre, especially 
on Highland and in the surrounding 
neighborhood near the Old 
Church, we have the following types 
of developments on that size lot: 1) 
single family home; 2) single family 
home with a granny unit; and a few 
3) duplexes or triplexes. 16 units is 
obscene. The amount of traffic and 
parking issues even 6 or 10 units 
would bring is totally unacceptable.”

At the meeting, in response to these 
concerns, the city promised to do a 
traffic study and try to find a solution 
to the traffic and parking problem 
independent of developing the 
property. (The traffic congestion is 
because of the school). 

 

City Manager Elaine Aguilar indicated 
that the city now how had a 
better understanding of what the 
community concerns were and that 
the city would discuss with Heritage 
Housing (the proposed developer)
the suggestions that were made. 

In addition, Pincus indicated residents 
are also concerned about the 
impact of such a development on 
Property values. “As for property 
values, we are, of course concerned 
that units sold at low to moderate income 
prices will effect and lower our 
property values. This issue seemed 
to have been addressed sufficiently 
by the city when they stated that 
the units are recorded at fair market 
value, not the actual reduced/subsidized 
price paid. 

Assuming the assessors don’t take 
into account that the units are low-
mod income units and downgrade 
the neighborhood based on that, the 
city’s assurances that our property 
values will not be impacted seem 
fair.”

 Pincus feels that if the city will not 
down zone the parcel, then the residents 
are going to fight anything 
more than 3 units on the property. 
“It’s too much for the area and not 
in keeping with the character of the 
neighborhood”, she said.

 On the other hand, Aguilar believes 
that the city and the community will 
be able to come up with an acceptable 
plan. Aguilar noted that the 
council liaisons, MacGillivray and 
Moran, will work with residents in 
developing a plan that is acceptable. 
She reiterated that the discussion of 
16 units, or any other development 
of the site, was just a proposal and 
nothing had been decided upon at 
this point.

S. Henderson/MVNews

In a press release sent out earlier 
this week, the City of Sierra 
Madre Community & Personnel 
Services Department and the 
Senior Community Commission 
announced this year’s Older ‘Sierra 
Madre’ American - Pat Alcorn.

Alcorn, who is a familiar face 
among volunteers in Sierra 
Madre, “has actively contributed 
to the Sierra Madre Community 
since 1964 when she and her husband 
moved from Pasadena. Her 
recent activities have included 
the Friends of the Sierra Madre 
Library Wine Tasting were she 
served as the co-chair for the past 
two years, she is currently co-
chairing the City of Sierra Madre 
Community Services Commission 
but her community involvement 
has also included being past 
President of the Sierra Madre 
Civic Club, a graduate of the first 
Sierra Madre Citizen’s Emergency 
Response Team training and 
three time Creative Arts Group 
Garden Tour Docent.”.

In addition, Alcorn ran for Sierra 
Madre City Council in 2010 
but was unable to garner quite 
enough votes to win a seat. The 
loss did not deter her, however, 
from continuing to support the 
community.

Pat is married to Sierra Madre’s 
Secretary of Volunteerism, De 
Alcorn.

A special reception will be held in 
her honor on Friday, May 13th—
4:30 pm at the Hart Park House 
Senior Center, 222 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. The 
public is invited to attend.

Please call the Senior Desk 
at (626) 355-7394 to make a 
reservation. 

COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEET TO 

DISCUSS FATE OF THE OLD YOUTH CENTER

Pat Alcorn 
Named Older 
American Of 
The Year


THE HARDER THEY 
FALL

This huge pine tree just couldn’t take it any more. On 
Sunday, it toppled over on Ida Mae Lane in Sierra 
Madre to the surprise of the residents. There was 
minimal property damage and no humans were hurt 
other than frayed nerves when the tree fell. A young 
neighbor poses in front of the fallen tree about an 
hour after the incident. (right).

 The next morning, just before the crews came out to 
clean up the mess, the photo below was taken which 
shows just how large the tree was and how close it 
came to smashing a home or two. 

Photos by Marlena Tanner


Inside This Edition...

CALENDAR Page 2 

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More News For You Page 7 

Education & Youth Page 8

Good Food & Drink Page 9

Places To Go Page 10

Arts & Entertainment Page 11

Legals Page 12

Opinion Page 13

The World Around Us Page 14

 The Good Life Page 15

Homes & Property Page 16

SPORTS Page 17

 Bobby Eldridge - On The Course

 FYI Page 18 


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