MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL PLANNING in CORRIDORS a Recommendations Report for the Arrow Highway Corridor in the San Gabriel Valley
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MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL PLANNING IN CORRIDORS A Recommendations Report for the Arrow Highway Corridor in the San Gabriel Valley Developed on behalf of SCAG as part of the Compass Blueprint Program Funding: The preparation of this report was financed in part through grants from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). A VISION. A PLAN. A COURSE. Contents Compass Blueprint Program Acknowledgements Introduction and Summary ............. 1 Outreach and Workshops ............... 3 This project was funded by the Southern This project was a collaborative effort involving California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) the participation of regional, subregional, Site Context .................................. 7 Compass Blueprint Demonstration Project and local agencies. The San Gabriel Valley Program. Compass Blueprint assists Southern Council of Governments (SGVCOG) helped Opportunities and Constraints ......... 13 California cities and other organizations in select the project location and identify a evaluating planning options and stimulating core group of jurisdictions to form the Arrow Retail Market Analysis ................... 19 development consistent with the region’s goals. Highway Corridor Working Group. This working Compass Blueprint tools support visioning group participated in scoping and visioning Design Concepts and Strategies ...... 21 efforts, infill analyses, economic and policy workshops, provided individual assistance, and analyses, and marketing and communication conducted interviews. Representatives from Implementation Mechanisms .......... 35 programs. the following organizations and jurisdictions participated in one or all stages of this Conclusions and Next Steps ........... 39 Existing streetscape along Arrow Highway The preparation of this report was funded in demonstration project: between Grand and Glendora Avenues part through grants from the United States Department of Transportation—Federal SCAG Highway Administration and the Federal SGVCOG Transit Administration—under provisions of the City of Azusa Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century City of Baldwin Park (TEA-21). City of Covina City of Glendora The contents of this report reflect the views of City of Irwindale the author who is responsible for the facts and County of Los Angeles accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official This report is the product of their efforts views or policies of SCAG or DOT. This report and interests to make Arrow Highway, the does not constitute a standard, specification or San Gabriel Valley, and the surrounding communities a better place to live. regulation. A vacant commercial building at the corner of Existing corridor housing along Arrow Highway Arrow Highway and Citrus Avenue between Lake Ellen and Azusa Avenues June 2008 Prepared by: In collaboration with: THE Existing streetscape along Arrow Highway near A new CVS along Arrow Highway between Citrus PLANNING Solimar Research Group CENTER Susan DeSantis Consulting Irwindale Avenue and Grand Avenues Page Introduction subregion should grow. The results identified of Irwindale known as the Arrow Highway Regional Location over 40 opportunity sites within corridors Corridor. in San Gabriel Valley. Some corridors present opportunities to accommodate Located at the edge of several cities, and often Southern California offers an abundance of new housing, some offer a chance for new functioning as a jurisdictional boundary, the recreational, entertainment, and economic commercial, retail, or office uses, while north and south sides of Arrow Highway are opportunities set in an attractive living others demonstrated a potential for a mix of often subject to different policies concerning San Gabriel Valley environment that continues to draw residential and non-residential uses. zoning and streetscape design. This new residents and new jobs. The San complicates planning efforts and impedes Gabriel Valley subregion is expected to be ARROW HIGHWAY Compass Blueprint Strategy the development of a consistent plan for the a major recipient of this growth, adding In 2001, the Southern California Association corridor, particularly one that embraces an nearly 400,000 residents, over 100,000 of Governments (SCAG) started a visioning improved connection between transportation households, and over 80,000 jobs between process that culminated in a regional and land use. 2010 and 2035.1 strategy to accommodate the coming growth. This strategy, called “Compass Blueprint” Because it is at the edge of many jurisdictions, Approximately one-third of this population promotes a stronger link between region wide the planning and development of properties and housing growth is projected to take transportation and land use planning and along Arrow Highway are considered a low place in the unincorporated portions of the encourages creative, forward-thinking, and priority within each jurisdiction, including Valley subregion. Over 85 percent of the job sustainable development solutions that fit local some of the unincorporated islands. For this growth is projected to take place inside city needs and support shared regional values. reason, the land along Arrow Highway is boundaries, reflecting the residential nature of The strategy is broadly based on the following largely underutilized and suffers from a high the unincorporated areas. four key “Compass Principles.” level of blight. This growth is the equivalent of adding Principle 1: Improve Mobility Six jurisdictions chose to participate in between 5,000–10,000 acres of new the Arrow Highway demonstration project: residential land2 or 2,000 acres of Principle 2: Foster Livability in All the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, employment-generating land.3 Questions Communities Glendora, and Irwindale, and the County of how and where to put this growth arise Principle 3: Enable Prosperity for All People of Los Angeles. Together, these jurisdictions quickly in a subregion that is currently 99 Principle 4: Promote Sustainability for Future formed the Arrow Highway Working Group. percent built out.4 Generations Many other jurisdictions in San Gabriel 1. Establish and define a corridor role Ultimately, this demonstration project is contributed to the scoping of this study and The corridors5 that criss-cross our urbanized 2. Improve the visual appearance intended to yield tangible results for the public Beginning in 2005, SCAG initiated the enabled Arrow Highway to be the first corridor lands present one of the best options for 3. Improve economic performance and private sectors and serve as catalytic implementation phase of Compass Blueprint project so that all jurisdictions may benefit. accommodating the coming growth. Corridors 4. Improve traffic flow and links to models of development and planning. and began partnering with jurisdictions in often host public transit lines, a mixture of transportation The project and its findings should be Southern California to realize this growth Project Goals medium- and high-density housing—both 5. Establish multi-jurisdictional coordination implementation oriented and replicable for vision on the ground. To date, over 40 The Arrow Highway Corridor Demonstration along and behind commercial uses—and a others in the San Gabriel Valley. demonstration projects have been conducted Project provides land use, economic, large portion of a jurisdiction’s commercial and that exemplify the goals shared by the design, and implementation strategies retail stores. Adding new growth into corridors Compass Blueprint and local communities. that can improve the overall corridor and Located at the edge of several cities, and often functioning as a jurisdictional not only helps preserve the lower density the connection between land use and lifestyles of surrounding development, it also boundary, the north and south sides of Arrow Highway are often subject to Arrow Highway Corridor transportation. In addition to the Compass supports and facilitates greater use of mass different policies concerning zoning and streetscape design. To provide the basis for a multi-jurisdictional Principles, the Demonstration Project is driven transit. demonstration project, the jurisdictions by five specific project goals: This complicates planning efforts and impedes the development of a consistent within the San Gabriel Valley Council of In 2004, the San Gabriel Valley Council Governments6 selected an east–west corridor plan for the corridor, particularly one that embraces an improved connection of Governments (SGVCOG) led a visioning running from the City of San Dimas to the City between transportation and land use. effort to evaluate how and where the Page Demonstration Project Summary The corridor also suffers from an oversupply of 1. Identify nodes and districts general retail development and a collection of The Arrow Highway Corridor Demonstration marginal parcels created by a system of storm 2. Redevelop and/or redesignate key parcels Project was conducted to provide land use, drainage channels. Together, these issues have within the corridor economic, design, and implementation strategies prevented the corridor from evolving in a focused that can improve the overall corridor while also manner, retarding potential economic growth 3. Concentrate and relocate auto service uses creating greater connections between land use and prosperity. and transportation. This demonstration project is 4. Introduce corridor housing a first step in evaluating the corridor and making However,