The Arcadia City Council listened and endorsed most of the wishes of local realtors Tuesday night (May 5, 2015) and the chief of police sang the praises of mall security.
A public hearing was carried over from the last regular City Council meeting on April 7 concerning an ordinance to apply regulations on realtor For Sale and Open House signs that are more enforce-able while meeting the needs of realtors. Several representatives from the Arcadia Association of Realtors and a few others offered comments, after which new regulations were adopted that, among other things, will allow:
- only one Open House sign per yard and allow them to be displayed from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on the day of the Open House
- allow all signs to be a uniform six-feet high.
- require developers to post a sign 4′ x 4′ that includes a drawing and text details of what the new home will look like, along with contact information, and mandated information such as mechanical liens.
“The AAR is very pleased with the Council’s vote last night and we’re thankful for their careful consideration,” AAR 2015 President Joe Pacilio said Wednesday.”As a community association, we’ve always worked very well with the City of Arcadia and we look forward to continuing to be good citizens and partners with the community and residents alike.”
Meanwhile, during a 2 1/2-hour budget study session that preceded the regular Council meeting, Westfield Santa Anita received impromptu praise and support from Police Chief Robert Guthrie. When asked by Council Member Tom Beck if there was a way to “lean on” Westfield Santa Anita to add more private security, Chief Guthrie noted that the mall’s security is among the best in the region compared to other malls and that police have an excellent working relationship with the mall. He also reminded the Council that sales tax from the combined businesses at Westfield represent the city’s single largest source of sales tax revenue, and therefore they deserve to have the City provide reasonable security services in return.
Also in the budget session — the budget for 2015-16 effective July 1, 2015, is to be approved by the Council at one of the two meetings in June — it was made clear that the overall business sector continues to be a prominent part of the City’s overall revenue and continues to show growth. In ths year ending June 30, licenses and permits are expected to be up 19.9%, sales taxes up 5% (expected to increase 13% next year due to a one-time $719,000 reimbursement-type payment from the state), and Transient Occupancy Taxes up 2.6%.
The Council also voted in closed session to suspend two years of efforts to modify commercial and residential zoning throughout the community due to a lawsuit that has been filed against the City.
For details about that and highlights from many of the other decisions and comments at the more than five hours of Council meetings, click the following link at ArcadiasBest.com.
