The "Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita" (RGST) Specific Plan was approved last year and encompasses 12 acres of land (2.7 acres in Monrovia and 9.3 acres in Duarte) that is currently the Santa Teresita Hospital property. The RGST Specific Plan provides a land use plan, development regulations, and design guidelines to facilitate the development of skilled nursing facilities as well as assisted living and independent living units in a campus type setting for seniors. Development will be in four phases and the first phase is underway which includes a 22-unit assisted living facility that is under construction in Monrovia. The developer anticipates completion of this first building in late July.
Last month, the City Council approved the development of a 4-unit, Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 212 and 216 West Olive Avenue. What is unique about this proposal is that it will incorporate the existing 80 year old house into the development. They are currently in the building plan check process and the developer will probably break ground in early summer.
The three new two-story units incorporate several of the same design features as the existing house which will visually unify the development. The new houses are between 1,807 to 1,878 square feet.
Several years ago, the City Council adopted the Neighborhood Compatibility Ordinance which added incentives to incorporate older "character" homes into new developments. The idea behind this was to allow new development to occur as the zoning permits, but by retaining some of the older homes; it would help new development blend into existing neighborhoods. This is the first time these provisions of the Code have been implemented and we're hopeful that it will look as good when constructed as it does on paper. Stay tuned!
The 50 year old Mon Arc Shopping Center located at 931 W. Duarte Road has recently gone through an amazing transformation. Last year the "Super A" grocery store, the major anchor in the center, closed its doors for the last time. The property owner decided that it was time to update the center and also expand by adding a new restaurant space. The majority of the businesses, including Jim's Burgers (the centers staple!), have remained during the extensive renovation. The new tenant that will occupy the grocery store space will be "Hong Kong Supermarket." A new sign program is being implemented and several businesses are now installing or securing their approvals for their signs. The previously tired center has come back to life!
Before
After
Super A
Hong Kong Supermarket
Freestanding Building
Freestanding Building - With Added Square Footage
Jim's Burgers
Jim's Burgers
Community Development's "Over the Counter"
Development Review Committee
The Development Review Committee will review several items on May 23, 2012. For a full list of the items, please click here.
Planning Commission Recap
There were two separate businesses that went before the Planning Commission on May 9, 2012 to ask to sell alcoholic beverages. The first was a new supermarket at 935 West Duarte Road. They were approved to sell alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption, which is common for a grocery store. The second request was from a new restaurant at 106 South Myrtle Avenue to sell beer and wine in conjunction with a restaurant use. The Planning Commission approved the request.
Special Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission
The Historic Preservation Commission will have a special meeting on May 23, 2012 to discuss two Certificates of Appropriateness, two seismic retrofit condition extensions, and a façade remodel in the downtown. To see the specific requests, please click here.
Monrovia Transit's Monthly Update
Ridership for Monrovia Transit (Dial-a-Ride) decreased by 5% in year-over-year comparison for the month of April 2012. The City's transit provider, Keolis Transit America, completed over 4,200 monthly trips.
Monrovia Transit has provided over 44,000 trips in fiscal year 2011-12, which is a 4% increase over the prior fiscal year to date. Ridership complaints are few, and on-time performance is around 98%.
If you would like any additional information, contact Brian O'Connor (x5521).
Monrovia Transit Booth at Friday Night Family Festival
Come visit with us at the Monrovia Transit booth this Friday, May 18th, at the Friday Night Family Festival. Answer some fun, easy questions and win free Monrovia Transit stuff. We look forward to seeing you there!
Development Spotlight
Santa Teresita
The "Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita" (RGST) Specific Plan was approved last year and encompasses 12 acres of land (2.7 acres in Monrovia and 9.3 acres in Duarte) that is currently the Santa Teresita Hospital property. To read more and see pictures development, click here to go to the Development Spotlight page.
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"What's Current With Community Development?" is a summary of news and events that relate to the Community Development Department and its Divisions. Content is updated twice a month.
Quick Reference Information
The Planning Division is responsible for applicants through the landscape regulation process.
Call
(626) 932-5565
In person
Monrovia City Hall 415 South Ivy Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016
Despite how much we try to change it, the Los Angeles basin is a desert. The water thirsty lawns and plants that we plant don't change the arid nature of our local climate. In California, about half of the urban water used is for landscape irrigation. That's a considerable amount of water.
In 2006, Assembly Bill 1881 was signed into law amending the Water Conservation in Landscape Act. This legislation required that the state update the original Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance which then must be incorporated into local regulations.
Pursuant to the provisions of AB 1881, the updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance is applicable within the City of Monrovia and generally applies to newly installed landscape projects over 2,500 square feet in area (5,000 SF for owner-installed/provided residential properties). These provisions supersede the City's existing water efficient regulations (MMC §17.24.030).
The City of Monrovia uses a self-certification process that will streamline the permitting process and reduce costs for applicants. The self-certification includes two steps:
Water Efficient Landscape Application - is the licensed landscape professional's statement that the proposed design and documentation package complies with state regulations.
Landscape Certificate of Completion - is the licensed landscape professional's statement that the installation (landscape and irrigation) is in substantial compliance with the approved Certificate of Design.
Mission
The Community Development Department is dedicated to serving the community, protecting the quality of life, preserving property values, and improving the built and natural environment.
Welcome to the Community Development Department!
The Community Development Department is comprised of three Divisions whose responsibilities range from issuing building permits and business licenses to code enforcement, design review, zoning administration, implementation of the MAP (Monrovia Area Partnership) program and historic preservation. The three Divisions are as follows:
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In Person
Community Development Department
Monrovia City Hall
415 South Ivy Ave.
Monrovia, CA 91016
Each Division provides an essential service to the community and the intent of the website is to provide easy access to all of the information that is available to you. I would also encourage you to read the Department's current news page, which is updated every two weeks. With that said, we are just as happy to discuss your projects, questions and concerns at the Community Development Department counter or over the phone. Feel free to contact any of our staff if you have any questions or need additional information.
The City of Monrovia is a great place to live, work and play and our staff is committed to seeing that it remains this way. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and we desire your complete satisfaction.To assist in this goal, we are in the process of developing various methods to communicate with you. This includes a customer survey. Your feedback will enable us to better advise, guide, and assist you.
As technology continues to play a more important part in the way we communicate and do business, I anticipate that our Department's website will continue to evolve over time providing even more information to you, our customer.
I hope that your experience with us is a good one.
Steve Sizemore
Director of Community Development
Quick Reference Information
Wireless telecommunication facility permitting is overseen by the City of Monrovia’s Planning Division
Call
(626) 932-5565
In person
Planning Division Monrovia City Hall 415 South Ivy Ave. Monrovia CA 91016
In a series of popular television commercials for a major cell phone provider, a fictional employee travels across America asking someone on the other end of his phone, “Can you hear me now?”After receiving confirmation, he states, “Good.” The purpose of this commercial is to emphasize the importance of having stable wireless signal coverage wherever you live, work, and travel.But how is reliable coverage achieved? A large part of the answer is found at the local level, and that’s why cities are involved.However, the federal government’s Telecommunications Act places limitations on local authority in regard to zoning and land use decisions for wireless service facilities, called base stations.
Wireless carriers use antennae located on base stations to send and receive information (i.e., voice, text, and data).In addition to relaying information, base stations automatically search for the strongest signal closest to the caller as he/she moves around town.As a result, it’s important to have adequate base stations placed around your community to reduce the likelihood of weak signals, dropped calls, and “dead zones.”
Base stations are heavily regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).A primary reason is because they emit radio frequency (RF) energy, which is the same type of power used to broadcast radio and television signals.Since the antennas for transmitting wireless communication are typically located outdoors on towers and other elevated structures like rooftops or sides of buildings, ground-level RF readings are well below the exposure limits recommended by the FCC.
Well, that’s probably more information about wireless signal coverage than you were looking for, however, as the late, great radio broadcaster Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Community Development
