altadenablog

Altadena Town Council highlights

A long and relatively uneventful Altadena Town Council meeting tonight.  Highlights:

• A presentation by the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission on Lincoln Crossing’s history, to bring the council up to speed on the development.  Later in the meeting, outgoing councilmember Michele Zack said that HUD was conducting an investigation of Lincoln Crossing;
• A lengthy report by Sheriff Capt. Roosevelt Blow on  the recent (June 5) shooting.  Blow also said that the Altadena station was preparing for the possibility of increased gang activity.  There will be another squad car brought in to work on gang enforcement during the summer, the station received a $20,000 grant to purchase tactical equipment, and there will be increased undercover surveillance.
• It was announced that T-Mobile has withdrawn its attempt to put a cell phone tower at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church.
• It was also announced that a preliminary injunction was ordered against Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School, with a hearing for a permanent injunction set for September.  The preliminary injunction says that Sahag-Mesrob must cease operating at their Palm St. campus by the end of this week.
• The June 6 town council election was certified, and the new members will begin their terms at next month’s meeting.

UPDATE 6/17: Here's the county website with information on West Altadena Community Redevelopment Project Area, which encompasses LIncoln Crossing.

UPDATE #2: Michele Zack has contributed her WAPAC report, after the jump.

Sahag-Mesrob, St. Elizabeth's Cell Tower: light at the end of the tunnel

Two long-term Altadena stories seem to be reaching the end of the line.  We're still collecting information on these, but we think we can safely put this much information up:

Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School: One of our correspondents who's been following the case writes:

After 5 months of hearing delays and the case being sent from Superior Court to Federal Court and then back to Superior Court, on May 29th the County was finally successful in getting a preliminary injunction granted against Sahag-Mesrob School to order them to cease operation or face criminal charges. 

Their cease operation date is June 16, 2009.

The injunction requires Sahag-Mesrob to cease operating pending trial.  The school principal went further and submitted a declaration to the court indicating that they will not operate a school until and unless the CUP is issued.

County Counsel says Sahag-Mesrob will most likely appeal the issuance of the preliminary injunction and the County should receive a notice of appeal shortly.  If they prevail, the case will certainly go to trial.  (Please note -  their appeal has no bearing on the cease operation ruling.)

It should be noted that the Palm St. school property has been on the market for several months.  We're going to try to get some comment from the school.

St. Elizabeth cell tower: Bo Astrup, who's been following this story for a long time, Twitters us that it's over -- T Mobile wants to get out of the contract to put a cell tower on the property of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church.  More details as we get them.

Town council odds & ends

Random bits from last night's meeting:

Sheriff: The council welcomed Lt. Sheila Sanchez, a new service area lieutenant who will mediate and handle community issues and problems and address service complaints.

Electricity:  Dave Ford of Southern California Edison explained electrical service upgrades that will be made in the Altadena service area over the next few years, and also said they would be working with the Christmas Tree Lane association to replace the bulbs with LED lights.

St. Elizabeth's cell tower:  while county planners have approved the cell tower on the St. Elizabeth's property, residents are appealing the decision to the county supervisors.  A letter from the previous council to the planners, opposing the cell tower, somehow never got there.  The council approved sending another letter, stating its opposition to the cell tower, to the supervisors and planning commission.

St. Elizabeth cell tower approved

Just got word from some folks involved in the above issue that Los Angeles county planners have approved the cell tower following yesterday's hearing.  Developing ...

Historic Highlands comes out against cell tower

From Bo Astrup, the Historic Highlands neighborhood blog has taken a stand against the proposed cell tower at St. Elizabeth's. 

Cell tower opponents charter bus for Dec. 3 hearing

Opponents of the proposed cell phone tower at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church have chartered a bus to transport people to the county planning hearing on Wed., Dec. 3, at 9 AM in the Hall of Records at 320 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.  The bus will leave at 7:30 AM across the street from the St. Elizabeth parking lot on Woodbury.  To RSVP for a seat on the bus, call 626-864-9433.  The ride is free, but donations are accepted to defray the cost.

Palm tree, cell tower, or alien probe? You decide ...

Bo Astrup of the Altadena Neighborhood Alliance points us to these pictures that mock up how the proposed cell phone tower will look at St. Elizabeth's.

St. Elizabeth cell tower rises again

Bo Astrup at the Altadena Neighborhood Alliance is asking people to submit comments to the city of Pasadena as it considers changes to its telecommunications facilities and equipment rules and regulations.  The neighborhood alliance has opposed constructing a cell tower on the property of St. Elizabeth's Church.  The church is in Altadena, but Pasadena is just across the street.

The public hearing before the Pasadena Planning Commission is Nov. 12, and the official notice is after the jump.  Contact at the city of Pasadena is Jose Jimenez (and we'd just show our age if we did a joke about THAT).

Assorted town council stuff

Also at last night's council meeting:

• The council voted to send a letter to the county, following the recommendations of the Land Use Committee, denying approval of a cell phone tower at St. Elizabeth's Church and School.
• Councilmember Michele Zack reported that the members of the West Altadena Project Area Committee were stunned to find that the developer of Lincoln Crossing had put all or part of the development on the market, apparently in violation of agreements.  The developer has also been trying to get refinancing on the project.  "More questions than answers" is how Zack characterized developments.
• Zack also reported that the pocket park on Marengo is now faced with arroyo stone, which greatly improved its appearance, but still needs work.  Anyone needing more information should contact her at michelezack@mac.com

Land Use Committee unsells cell tower

Bo Astrup of the Altadena Neighborhood Alliance tells us that the Altadena Town Council's Land Use Committee voted lat night 10-zip (with one abstention) not to approve the T-Mobile cell tower under consideration at St. Elizabeth's Church.

There's a short story on the Neighborhood Allliance's handsome new website.

Town council kicks back cell tower

In a rather brief (two hour) monthly meeting, a rump Altadena Town Council kicked back the proposed T-Mobile cell tower to the land use committee.

Representatives of two groups (Altadenans for St. Elizabeth's, and the Altadena Neighborhod Alliance) urged the council to reconsider its approval of a cell phone tower to be located at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church at Lake and Woodbury.  Steve Escobar of Altadenans for St. Elizabeth's presented the council with the signatures of 385 neighbors who were opposed to the tower.

After some discussion, the council voted to ask the land use committee to readdress the tower in light of the strong community opposition.

Fight over proposed St. Elizabeth's cell phone tower

T-Mobile is in the process of setting up a cell phone tower at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church at Lake and Woodbury.  Its proximity to St. Elizabeth's School and the child care center at Westminster Presbyterian Church across the street have caused consternation among parents as well as neighbors. Even members of St. Elizabeth's congregation are objecting to the tower (which will be disguised as a palm tree) near the historic Wallace Neff-designed structure.

PSN has a front-page story that looks at the burgeoning controversy.  Bo Astrup updates Altadenablog:

The community was just heard at a hearing downtown LA on April 1st. The Hearing Officer unable to approve the request of the petitioner (T-Mobile), has moved the case up to the Regional Planning Commission. There will be a public meeting a the Planning Commission probably on June 4th. See more info at

http://www.mynews2u.com/video.php?vid=116

Update: Pasadena Weekly has the headline we wish we had!