Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Metro chooses final 710 routes for environmental study

The following article appears on the front page print edition of the Pasadena Star News dated August 24, 2012 above the fold.   

Following the SRNA meeting of August 22, Metro staff states routes F5 and H2 through San Rafael do not merit further study.  Please visit the link below to view online gallery of photos.



Metro chooses final 710 routes for environmental study

Posted: 08/23/2012 06:52:37 PM PDT
  
PASADENA - The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Thursday it has determined the final five alternatives it will study for the 710 Freeway extension.
The new list that does not include two proposed routes through Pasadena's wealthy San Rafael neighborhood.

The announcement came the day after a San Rafael Neighborhood Association meeting at which about 300 local residents and politicians had one resounding message for Metro: no 710 Freeway extension, anywhere.

The meeting was one of many protests in recent weeks against Metro's proposed 710 extension to close a 4.5-mile freeway gap between Alhambra and Pasadena.
San Rafael Neighborhood Association President Ron Paler said he was "excited" to hear the San Rafael routes had been dropped, and credited the local community's activism for influencing Metro's decision.

"I think there's no doubt that the activism of numerous individuals and numerous groups ... was one of the driving forces ultimately responsible for Metro's decisions," Paler said.
The final list eliminates the F2 and F5 tunnel routes that connect to the 134 and 2 Freeways, the F6 surface/depressed route connecting the 10 and 210
Freeways, the H2 highway route up Avenue 64 and the H5 highway along Fremont and Fair Oaks Avenues.

"The low-performing and senseless options - particularly the routes along Avenue 64 and through the San Rafael community - ought never have been included in the first place," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who chairs the MTA.
Antonovich blamed Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, for legislation that mandated "route neutrality" and forced Metro to examine building through the pricey and politically connected neighborhoods of southwest Pasadena.

Metro staff is set to present a more in-depth explanation of how the study team chose the final five routes out of the 12 it has been studying for months. That presentation will take place at the Technical Advisory Meeting on Wednesday, Metro official Frank Quon said.
Still on the table are:
A no-build option, which includes 50 small improvement projects throughout the study area;
A solution that would incorporate Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS) into the study area. The option will also encourage ride-sharing and off-peak travel;
Light rail that would follow a route from the East Los Angeles Civic Center Station through Monterey Park and connect to the Gold Line at the Fillmore Station;
A bus line that would connect from the Atlantic Station on the Gold Line to Pasadena via Atlantic and Fair Oaks avenues;
A freeway tunnel connecting the 10 and 210 Freeways between Alhambra and Pasadena.
A multi-lane interstate above ground freeway connection is no longer under consideration, officials said.

The options will be studied more in-depth during the remaining two years of Metro's EIR process.
Quon said Metro heard the voices of community activists, but made a decision on the final alternatives based on a set of criteria that determined each route's feasibility and ability to ease traffic congestion.

"We're aware of and we understand and respect the activism and the voices from the community but we had focused on our many aspects of evaluating it and we had developed performance measures to evaluate all of the alternatives," Quon said.

But Paler said Metro's decision to remove the San Rafael routes will not stop the SRNA from fighting all forms of the 710 Freeway extension.
State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, praised the decision, but said it didn't go far enough to protect residents.

"I'm pleased for any neighborhood that gets spared from the nightmare but disappointed that Metro continues to think that the tunnel makes sense when the overwhelming facts available say it doesn't," Portantino said. "They should immediately stop all work on any misguided notion of furthering a tunnel."

Even before Thursday's decision, SRNA member John Shaffer encouraged residents Wednesday to remember their own dismay about the San Rafael routes to motivate them to continue fighting a freeway extension.

"I want everyone here to remember that feeling you felt the day you learned that our neighborhood was in the path of this highway or freeway and don't ever forget that feeling," Shaffer said. "Because even if we manage to defeat the routes through our neighborhood, there are other families that are going to be feeling that same feeling and we have to be there for them the same way they are for us."

Politicians at Wednesday's SRNA meeting also took a stand against all freeway routes. Among them were state Sen. Candidate Gil Gonzales, state Assembly candidate Donna Lowe and Portantino representative Julianne Hines. Portantino sent a letter Wednesday to Caltrans representatives urging a complete halt to the 710 extension study completely.

Executive Director of Pasadena Heritage Claire Bogaard, wife of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, commented on the various environmental and logistical problems that could come from a tunnel route, which she said she thinks will be high on Metro's list. She also encouraged residents to vote against the extension of Measure R in November if it includes 710 funding.

The Los Angeles City Council is also set today to take a vote on opposing five of the routes that have now been eliminated. Residents from San Rafael, Highland Park, Garvanza and other affected neighborhoods said they planned to attend the meeting and encourage the council to take an even more aggressive approach and also oppose the tunnel option.

"We hope there can be more exposure to the city council members as to this flawed process," said Highland Park resident Gretchen Knudsen. "We're just getting started."
We must continue to work until Metro adopts responsible, cost-effective transportation solutions for Pasadena and the region.  

Together, we can continue to make a difference!


San Rafael Neighborhoods Association

For more information: www.srnapasadena.org

Monday, August 27, 2012

Our Upcoming Financial Wellness Series

Throughout our real estate careers, we have met so many people that do not have their financial house in order.  Meaning, they have not protected themselves or their family, should financial or personal disaster occur.  They have thought about doing so, put the goal of taking care of it on their "to-do" list, but they never seem to get around to it.  So, NO MORE EXCUSES!  We are providing an opportunity for you to get chipping away at getting your financial house in order.  If you have not refinanced your existing loan to a lower rate, have no will/advanced directives/trust, have been considering long-term care insurance, or are thinking about adding an umbrella insurance policy to your existing coverage, this series is for you!  There is no charge for attending, just give us a call or email us with your RSVP immediately.  Come to one or all sessions, which will be brief and exiting with some of our favorite professional partners and which will get you on your way to financial security!


Friday, August 3, 2012

What You Need to Know about State Route 710



If you are not yet aware, Los Angeles County voters approved the passage of Measure R in 2008, allowing major transportation issues to be addressed and resolved.  In 2010, Metro and Caltrans adopted motions to move forward with the environment review phase for the SR-710, since the San Gabriel Valley houses over 20% of our county's population.

If you live in Los Angeles County, now is the time for you to update yourself as to how planning has progressed and how various communities are supporting the Environmental Study and outreach efforts.  Both of which will play and important role in the project development process.  

If you are interested in joining a CLC (Community Liaison Council) in your community, you may do so.  These CLC's are in various communities and include local residents, business owners, employers, etc., and will provide feedback on the technical study and overall out reach efforts.  There is a meeting coming up on August 8th at 6:30pm at the Chef's Center located at 45 N. San Gabriel Blvd., Pasadena.

For more information on the SR-710 and to sign up for a CLC in your area, please visit:

http://www.metro.net/projects/sr-710-conversations/

This is an issue that effects all of us who reside in the San Gabriel Valley.  Let's take action and get involved for the future of our community.

Cynthia