Palm Street Area Residents Association (PSARA)
of Altadena, California, USA
http://www.AltadenaPSARA.org
As
indicated by the white lines within our green logo, PSARA covers the
following geographic area within Census Tract 4602 of Altadena:
Palm Street between Fair
Oaks and Marengo, plus the streets feeding north and south from that
segment of Palm Street: Almond Alley, Ewing, Highview, Raymond,
Pentagon off Raymond, Emerson, and the Poppyfields
cul-de-sac off Emerson.
Please click here to view our "Hello Neighbor" flyer; this pdf file contains a brief introduction to PSARA, including who we are, our history and background, our current areas of focus, and our ongoing activities.
Mission:
As
a neighborhood association, we are a group of residents who desire to
retain the character and the safety of our quiet and peaceful
residential neighborhood, and assist our fellow neighbors. We
meet regularly, seeking
solutions to neighborhood issues
that affect any one of us, remembering that "injury to one is injury to
all".
We have worked closely with the Altadena
Town Council for several years to successfully address the following important neighborhood concern:
News:
- April 19, 2012: As reported in both Altadenablog and Altadena Patch,
Arroyo Pacific Academy will not appeal the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) denial decision made by the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning during its April 4, 2012 Public Hearing. PSARA has actively participated during all phases of this CUP application process.
A precedent has been set, making it unlikely that a school would ever
be permitted to operate on the 183 - 205 East Palm Street property in
this quiet residential area of Altadena.
- April 6, 2012: As reported today in Altadenablog,
Arroyo Pacific Academy has purchased a 15,000 square foot property at 400 Rolyn
Place in Arcadia, and intends to use it as a second campus for arts,
music, robotics, technology and theater. This second campus is about 3
blocks from the main 12,000 square foot property at 41 West Santa Clara Street in
Arcadia. The Rolyn Place property was purchased in the name of the school for approximately $1.6 million, and was funded by a recent $2.8 million Small Business Associaton loan. The 183 - 205 Palm Street property, by contrast, was purchased by Mr. Philip Clarke in his own name,
not in the name of the school, for $3.6 million in November 2010.
Now that Arroyo Pacific Academy has established a second "arts
and technology" campus in Arcadia, Mr. Clarke may use his Palm
Street property for other purposes, or he may sell it.
- April 4, 2012: The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, at its April 4th Public Hearing, has voted 3-2 to deny the Conditional Use Permit for a high school at
183 - 205 East Palm Street in Altadena. The "Denial Package"
included within the Case Downloads for this CUP contains all of the details. Altadenablog and Altadena Patch
have posted summaries of this public hearing. Mr. Philip Clarke,
President of Arroyo
Pacific Academy, has until April 18th to file an appeal, which would then go
before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for decision.
- March 22, 2012: The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning has published some important materials for the upcoming April 4th Public Hearing. The Staff Report included within the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) Package
includes a recommendation made prior to the public hearing, subject to
change based on testimony and/or documentary evidence presented at the
public hearing. The staff has recommended denial of Conditional Use Permit number 201100002, as documented in both Altadenablog and in Altadena Patch.
The Regional Planning Commissioners will hear testimony at the upcoming
public hearing in downtown Los Angeles on April 4th.
- February 29, 2012: The Public Hearing on the Conditional Use Permit for 183 East Palm Street has now been confirmed for Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.
This hearing will be held at the Los Angeles County Department of
Regional Planning facility, in Room 150, at 320 West Temple Street,
located between Hill St. and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Case materials can be found here on the Regional Planning website.
- February 21, 2012: At its February 2012 meeting, the full Altadena Town Council voted 11 - 3 to accept the recommendation of its Land Use Committee, to once again deny the CUP application
for a high school campus at 183 East Palm Street. PSARA members spoke in opposition to the CUP during this meeting, as documented in Altadenablog and in Altadena Patch. The Town Council's recomendation
will be sent to the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning for
consideration during a public hearing, tentatively scheduled for
Wednesday April 4, 2012 in downtown Los Angeles.
- February 7, 2012: At its February 2012 meeting, the Land Use Commitee (LUC) voted 8 - 5 to recommend to the Altadena Town Council to once again deny the CUP application for a high school campus at 183 East Palm Street. PSARA members spoke in opposition to the CUP during this meeting, as documented in Altadenablog. The full Altadena Town Council will meet on Tuesday, February 21
to consider this recommendation by its Land Use Committee, and to vote
on a recommendation to be sent the Los Angeles County Department of Regional
Planning.
- December 6, 2011: At
the December 2011 Land Use Committee (LUC) meeting, Mr. Philip Clarke of
Arroyo Pacific Academy presented an overview of his slightly-modified
plans for the 183 East Palm Street property, and answered questions
posed by Land Use Committee members. The Altadena Community Plan
document was specifically referenced by LUC member Brian League.
During public comment, 18 individuals spoke in favor of the proposed
school, and 21 PSARA
members spoke against the proposed school. Discussion will continue at
the February 7, 2012 Land Use Committee meeting.
- November 15, 2011: At the November Town Council meeting, Dr. Sandra Thomas, the Chair of the Altadena Town Council, publicly read a letter from Mr. Philip Clarke, Principal of Arroyo Pacific Academy
in Arcadia, stating that he has recently modified his Conditional Use
Permit (CUP) application for the 183 East Palm Street property in
Altadena, changing the maximum number of students at his proposed
second campus from 250 to 200, and including a traffic circulation
plan. Mr. Clarke believes that these CUP modifications should
adequately address the concerns of the neighbors. Mr. Clarke has
requested new hearings at the Altadena Town Council's Land Use
Committee, and at the full Altadena Town Council. The date for
the presentation of the revised CUP to the Land Use Committee, along with public comment, will be Tuesday, December 6. Altadenablog and Altadena Patch both document Mr. Clarke's latest CUP efforts.
- November 15, 2011: The Altadena Town Council recognized the many Altadena Neighborhood Watch and Neighborhood Associations at the November Town Council meeting. PSARA was one of several neighborhood organizations honored with a Community Service Award.
- September 20, 2011: The Altadena Town Council voted 10-to-1 to recommend denial of
the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application submitted by Mr. Philip Clarke
of Arroyo Pacific Academy for a proposed high school on the property at
183 East Palm Street. PSARA members spoke in opposition to the CUP during this meeting, as documented both in Altadenablog and in Altadena Patch.
A letter
confirming this recommendation by the Altadena Town Council has been
sent to the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning.
A public hearing on this matter will be held at the Department of Regional Planning in downtown Los Angeles, on a date as yet to be determined.
- September 6, 2011: The Altadena Town Council's Land Use Committee voted unanimously to disapprove
the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application submitted by Mr. Philip Clarke
of Arroyo Pacific Academy for a proposed high school on the property at
183 East Palm Street. PSARA members spoke in opposition to the CUP during this meeting, as documented both in Altadenablog and in Altadena Patch. The Land Use Committee's decision will be considered by the full 16-member Altadena Town Council at its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 20.
- August 2011: Philip Clarke has requested that his application for a
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) relative to his property at 183 East
Palm Street be considered by the Altadena Town Council's Land Use Committee at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 6, and subsequently by the full 16-member Altadena Town Council at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 20. There will be a presentation by Mr. Clarke,
questions and discussion by the Committee or the Council members, as well as an
opportunity for public comment, prior to a vote to either approve or
disapprove this CUP application. These meetings will take place at 7:00 PM at the Altadena Community Center.
- January 2011:
PSARA learned that Philip Clarke submitted an application for a
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) on Thursday, January 6, 2011, with plans to
operate a high school for 250 students on the 183 East Palm Street property. The CUP number is RCUP201100002 (that's 4 consecutive zeros); the associated Master Project Plan number is R2008-00985.
- December 2010: On Monday evening, December 6, 2010, Crown City News of Pasadena ran a news story on the local cable news channel, concerning this Palm Street property. PSARA
provided written information to the CCN reporter, as background for this
news story. A replay of this 4-minute broadcast can be found here and here.
- November 2010: On November 19, 2010, Mr. Philip Clarke purchased the 183
- 205 East Palm Street property. The purchase was made under his
own name ("Thomas P. Clarke"), not under the name of Arroyo Pacific Academy. On that
same day, Mr. Clarke issued this statement, which he distributed to Altadenablog, to Altadena Patch, and to PSARA.
- October 2010:
PSARA learned on October 29, 2010, after a nearby neighbor
overheard a conversation
coming from the bowl-shaped property at 183 - 205 East Palm Street, that Mr.
Philip
Clarke, Principal of Arroyo Pacific Academy, a high school in Arcadia,
wants to purchase this property for use as a.... high school campus for 250 students!
Mr. Clarke claims to know about PSARA, having read several posts concerning PSARA on
Altadenablog, and he has also noticed the many No School on Palm signs on our streets, so he is well aware of the significant neighborhood
opposition to any Day
School at this 183 - 205 East Palm Street site. But he intends to
pursue the purchase of this property anyway.
- September 2010:
PSARA learned on September 13, 2010 that Dr. Nancy Lavelle of The Almansor Center
no longer
intends to pursue the purchase of the property at 183 - 205 East Palm
Street for use as a Day School for students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders. PSARA
will continue to vigorously oppose the use of
this Palm Street property for any
Day School, because of traffic, noise, pollution, and property value
impacts of a Day School in the midst of our quiet residential
neighborhood. PSARA
is sorry to see this property go into
disrepair and foreclosure. We remain hopeful that a future buyer
will use this property for a purpose that is compatible with our rustic
and idyllic residential neighborhood, with its very narrow
streets. We believe that a hospice facility would be an ideal use
for this property, as would an assisted living facility for seniors, a retreat
center, or invidual residences.
- March 2010: PSARA learned that Dr. Nancy Lavelle of The Almansor Center
intends to pursue the purchase of the property at 183 - 205 East Palm
Street for use as a Day School for 250 students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders. The purchase of this property from Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School is
contingent upon the County's approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for
operation of a school on this residential property.
- June 2009: PSARA was encouraged to learn that Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School,
which had purchased the 183 - 205 East Palm Street property in Spring
2008, and then illegally operated a second campus on this
property during the entire 2008-2009 school year, without first obtaining the necessary
Conditional Use Permit (CUP), has now closed its Palm Street campus, and
will relocate to a leased campus in Pasadena in the fall of 2009. The 183 - 205 East Palm Street property is vacant, and up for sale. The queues
of school-related traffic on Palm Street,
as shown in this photo published last fall in an Altadenablog post, along with the
associated vehicle emissions, plus the ongoing noise generated from hundreds of
students within this bowl-shaped property during each school day,
had significantly impacted our quiet residential neighborhood for ten whole
months. This actual school experience within our own neighborhood
has led PSARA to adopt a simple theme: No School on Palm! We have deployed many "NSOP"
yard signs within our neighborhood for all to see, including the next
owner of the 183 - 205 East Palm Street property.
- History: The 183 East Palm Street property
has been used as a private residence, most notably as the home of shaving cream heiress Betty Williams Zorthian (1954-1967) following her divorce from Altadena artist Jirayr Zorthian; as an Altadena YMCA Day Camp, with a swimming pool and nature trails, for no more than 75 children (1968-1975); and as Bienvenidos Children's Center (1995-2005), a residential home for no more than 46 infants and toddlers, for whom the several stucco buildings currently on the
property were built, all but obscuring the original frame residence
from public view.
The corner house at 205 East Palm Street had been used strictly as a private residence
up until the time when it was purchased by Bienvenidos for use as office space; this residence had previously been associated
with gangster Bugsy Siegel (1940s), and was later the home of CalTech physicist Kip Thorne (1970s). A day school has never received a permit to operate on this historically-significant residential property; PSARA is actively working to keep it that way.
Call To Action:
If you are interested in helping your Palm Street Area neighborhood in
maintaining its current peaceful and tranquil character, please send
e-mail to info@AltadenaPSARA.org, and include your name and your street address, so that we at PSARA may contact you, to keep you up-to-date on our areas of focus, and to discuss various ways in which you can help. Thanks!
ACONA:
PSARA participates in the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA), whose website can be found here.
AltadenAlert:
PSARA is included within "AltadenAlert", the Altadena Sheriff's Station interactive Altadena Neighborhood Watch & Association Map, which can be found here.
Contact:
For additional
information about PSARA,
please send e-mail to
This website was last updated
on April 19, 2012