SPECIAL SIERRA MADRE CITY COUNCIL MEETING: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013 at 6:30P.M. TOPIC: USER UTILITY TAX

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2013

VOLUME 7 NO. 46

CITY COUNCIL 
MEETING WRAP 
UP by Marina Coco La Salle

MATER DOLOROSA RETREAT CENTER 
CONTEMPLATING HOUSING PROJECT


Mayor Nancy Walsh, Mayor Pro 
Tem John Harabedian, and Council 
Members John Capoccia, Chris 
Koerber, and Josh Moran were all 
present at this week’s city council 
meeting. Most of the members seemed 
to reminisce on the town’s Halloween 
festivities and the turn out of the VFW 
Veteran’s Day Commemoration. Mayor 
Nancy Walsh and Council Member 
Chris Koerber specifically took the 
time to thank the Civic Club, Kiwanis 
Club and Sierra Madre staff for their 
efforts and continued support with the 
community. 

 

Tentative Tract Map 

Development Service Director, Danny 
Castro gave the council and audience 
an overview of what a recent applicant 
submitted. The applicant created a 
tentative map for the development of 
seven condominiums on the property 
located at 413 Mariposa Avenue. The 
city’s planning commission made their 
final decision to approve the seven-
unit, two-story, twenty-eight foot high 
project. 

Building Code Adoption 

This was the second reading of the 
building code adoption. When last 
discussed, Council Member Capoccia 
requested options regarding higher 
penalties for those who build without 
a permit and expanding protection for 
areas that are not listed in the historic 
register. Due to government policy the 
maximum penalty fee is and will stay 
at $1000. Most building codes protect 
historically classified spaces but an 
addition of (cont. on page 3)

Also Inside this week: 

SIERRA MADRE

Calendar Page A2

Sierra Madre News Page A3

PASADENA/ALTADENA

Pg. A4

By Susan Henderson

 At the very end of north Sunnyside 
in Sierra Madre is an 88 acre expanse 
of land which houses one of the city’s 
most beautiful landmarks, the Mater 
Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center 
(aka, The Monastery). It is an area 
well known to most residents of Sierra 
Madre for a variety of reasons. From 
1932 to 1991 the land included the home 
of the Passionist Father’s Monastery. 
(The Monastery was destroyed by the 
1991 Sierra Madre Earthquake and 
ultimately demolished.) The retreat 
center was built in 1949 and is still very 
much in use for religious purposes 
and for use by the general public. The 
property has also been the site of many 
festivals and events and was the site of 
the Sierra Madre Town Picture taken 
during the Centennial Celebration in 
2007. Every Good Friday, the property 
is opened for the Annual Seven Stations 
of the Cross service. Dog walkers and 
hikers have also availed themselves to 
the property for years. However, much 
of those 88 acres are about to change.

 According to Jerry Pearson, President 
of the Board of Directors for the 
Retreat Center, there are preliminary 
discussions underway surrounding 
the implementation of portions of 
the retreat center’s 2006 Master Plan. 
Those plans currently include the 
development of an unspecified number 
of “low density housing units” on 
the lower (southern) portion of the 
property.

 City Manager Elaine Aguilar, in an 
interview earlier in the week, confirmed 
that “preliminary inquiries” had been 
made, however, ”nothing has formally 
been submitted to the city”. No timeline 
was given by either Aguilar or Pearson 
as to when anything more substantive 
will be available. According to Pearson, 
“We are just in the feasibility stage”.

 Pearson, along with the center’s 
Director, Father Michael Higgins, and 
Deacon Manuel Valencia, the Associate 
Retreat Director, emphasized that their 
primary concern was retaining “a sense 
of open space and an atmosphere of 
reflective tranquility”, and yet, “evaluate 
the best use of the property.”

 At this point, Pearson was not 
able to articulate the specifics of the 
project but he was very clear on what 
they did not want. “We don’t want 
any ‘McMansions’”. “It will not be a 
gated community”, and “It will be an 
environmentally sustainable project”. 
He also added that nothing would be 
done to the hillside area behind the 
Retreat Center. 

 When the Mater Dolorosa Passionist 
Retreat Center was incorporated in 
2004, one of their immediate goals was 
to “evaluate and enhance the property 
to support the retreat ministry, 
Passionist Community life, and Holy 
Cross Province”. In order to develop 
the property and maintain their goals, 
whatever is constructed must support 
the serene and reflective environment 
of the retreat center.

 Sierra Madre residents have 
been noticing that there has been 
some “unusual activity” at the 
Monastery for a while. Earlier 
this year, several residents who 
walked their dogs on the grounds 
inquired about the construction 
of a fence around the property. 
Others noticed a number of large 
trucks, “larger than brush clearing 
trucks”, that had been going up 
and down the street.

 If there is any housing at all 
constructed on the property, street 
access will have to be considered. 
Currently, the only direct access 
is North Sunnyside. However, 
Pearson indicated that discussions 
have included expanding and 
improving the portion of Carter 
that dead ends into the retreat 
center’s property. If that is done, 
then Grove Street would also be 
impacted by the project. The 
land is bordered on the North by 
Angeles National Forest; on the 
west by Pasadena, Sierra Madre 
and the County of Los Angeles; on 
the east by Bailey Canyon and on the 
South by Sunnyside Avenue.

 Several property owners on 
Sunnyside and Grove who are aware 
of the proposed project, are concerned 
about the impact it will have. A local 
realtor, who is thoroughly familiar with 
the history of the site and property 
values in Sierra Madre, says, “What will 
happen to home values will depend on 
the type of units constructed. If they 
are truly low-density, single family, 
market rate homes, then property 
values will increase.”

 Regardless of what type of housing is 
developed, the city will have an increase 
in funds. Currently the development 
fees for each unit are $45,000, to 
cover the increased demands on our 
infrastructure. If streets have to be 
widened, those costs would also be the 
responsibility of the developer. And, 
additional housing units will eventually 
mean additional property tax revenue.

 There does not appear to be any way 
of blocking reasonable construction 
on the monastery property. When 
speaking with Aguilar, she pointed 
out that the city’s General Plan allows 
for the Monastery to construct either 
recreational or residential projects on 
the land. This is in the current plan, 
written in 1996, and there was no 
change to that segment of the proposed 
new General Plan.

 However, when the formal application 
is made to the city, regardless of the size 
and scope, there are a number of steps 
that have to be taken and most include 
input from the community. The process 
includes an environmental impact 
report and a zoning change among 
other things. When questioned as to 
whether or not Pearson thought getting 
through the process would be difficult, 
he responded by saying that he looked 
forward to working with the city and 
residents in order to make this project 
something that all could embrace and 
of which we all can be proud.

Webster’s Future 
Uncertain

AROUND SGV Pg. A5

The Perfect AP Score

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. A6 

MONROVIA/DUARTE 

 Pg. A7





EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. A8

FOOD & DRINK

ARTS & MORE

 Pg. A9

BEST FRIENDS Pg. A10

THE GOOD LIFE 

 
Pg. A11

Savvy Senior

Senior Happenings

This and That


SECTION B

SIERRA MADRE ROSE 
PRINCESSES ANNOUNCED 

 Pg. B1

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 
HEALTHY LIVING 

 Pg. B2

BUSINESS /WORLD

 AROUND US Pg. B3

LEFT TURN/RIGHT 
TURN/OPINION 

 Pg. B4

SMTV Channel 98 

Program Guide Pg. B5

LEGAL NOTICES Pg. B7




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