Council Reflects on Proposed Housing Project

As spring continues, the Crescenta Valley Town Council has spent the past month focused on meaningful engagement, public safety and celebrating the people who make Crescenta Valley such a special place in which to live. From well-attended public forums to community events and student recognition, here’s a look at what we’ve been up to.

Earlier this month, the Town Council hosted a community forum that drew over 300 residents to discuss a proposed 66-unit housing development with 70 parking spaces on the corner of Briggs Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. The strong turnout reflected the seriousness with which our community views this project. Residents shared feedback, both in person and through written comment cards and emails, with the overwhelming majority voicing opposition to the project as proposed.

Much of the concern centered on safety and access. The proposed development sits along a main roadway that serves as the only way in and out for a large population of the Crescenta Valley. The project location itself falls within a high fire hazard zone, prompting many residents to raise alarms about increased traffic, parking spillover onto Briggs Avenue and the absence of current evacuation studies or evacuation plans for the area particularly in light of recent fires such as the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The Town Council appreciated the presence of key stakeholders at the forum, including representatives from the project developer, the CVTC Land Use Committee, Crescenta Valley Town Council members and representatives from the county supervisor’s office, the Dept. of Regional Planning, the Dept. of Public Works, and our sheriff’s and fire department partners. Their participation allowed for direct dialogue with all present and ensured community concerns were clearly heard by those involved in the review process.

In response to the strong and consistent feedback from residents, the Town Council voted to submit a formal letter of recommendation opposing the project in its current form. The Council argues the Community Standards District, which was thoughtfully planned with LA County Dept. of Planning for the vision of the Foothill corridor creating a design reflecting local zoning and community cohesiveness, is being overridden.

Letters were sent to all Los Angeles County supervisors, urging them not to approve funding for the project until appropriate due diligence is completed. This includes comprehensive traffic, parking, safety and evacuation studies to determine what size and scope of development, if any, is appropriate for this site, with public safety as the guiding priority. This letter was also sent to Assemblymember Nick Schultz and State Senator Sasha Perez so that they could also have eyes on this project and hopefully give their own feedback to the supervisors.

Appearing at the board of supervisors meeting on May 12 was a strong contingent of representatives of the Crescenta Valley.

Over 500 people voiced opposition to both the use of public funding for the development as well as identifying the parcel as an inappropriate location of high-density housing. The recorded opposition for the project from our residents has been nothing short of enormous. The Council emphasized that this will be an ongoing discussion with County officials to ensure that local safety is prioritized. The agenda items were ultimately delayed and referred back to the LA County Community Development Authority, which is requesting the funding for the project. We anticipate the project will come again before the board of supervisors at a later date and will update the community as we receive information.

Beyond land use matters, the Town Council has continued to stay connected with the community. We were delighted to participate in the Hometown Country Fair and truly enjoyed meeting residents, families and local organizations throughout the day.

A reminder that our next regular Town Council meeting is tonight, Thursday, May 14 rather than the usual third Thursday of the month due to our regular location being unavailable. At the meeting, we are proud to award scholarships to five outstanding students from our community. We are constantly amazed at the quality of young adults being raised in our community. 

After a week of difficult discussions, celebrating these seniors is a welcome reminder of what we are fighting to protect.

As always, thank you for your engagement and we encourage you to stay involved as we work together to serve Crescenta Valley.

See you tonight, Thursday May 14 at 7 p.m. at the La Crescenta Library community room, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

Kerri Brautigam, CVTC
Corresponding Secretary