The Whittier City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 19, approved the purchase of five long-vacant parcels in the Uptown Whittier area, prompting renewed discussion of the fate of the area’s trees and concern over how the land will be used.
All five City Council members voted to approve the purchase, with a price tag of $1.57 million, plus $41,400 in related acquisition costs. At the three-hour special meeting, Mayor Joe Vinatieri stressed the group only decided to approve the acquisition and no decisions have been made on use of the purchased lots, at 7055 Greenleaf Ave., 7042 and 7048 Comstock Ave., and 12900 Philadelphia St.
“Once it’s ours we can talk about what happens to the property. One step at a time,” he said during the meeting.
But the action comes amid a flurry of recent news surrounding the revamp of the area in and around uptown, including over the fate of dozens of beloved ficus trees to make way for an upgrade of Greenleaf Avenue and concern over the fate of still other trees given the recent approval of new developers at the 3.4-acre former Alpha Beta site.
In that context, concern emerged anew over how the new lots would be developed, and whether the city’s robust tree canopy would be threatened.
Resident Conny McCormack showed before-and-after photos of a 2018 development in Santa Monica that worked around mature ficus trees, resulting in no loss of trees beside a new eight-story building.
“It’s not mutually exclusive to develop these lots in uptown and keep our tree canopy at the same time,” McCormack said. “We’re asking you to listen and learn from the other cities.”
She noted that the vacant lots on the agenda are within the three-block area designated for the Greenleaf Promenade project, a revamp spanning three blocks of Uptown Whittier from Hadley to Wardman streets. Upgrades included in the project include outdoor dining, lighting and sidewalk repairs. It will also remove dozens of trees from the area.
Ben Pongetti, director of community development, said the parcels have been vacant for more than 20 years and recommended the properties be used for park space and parking for the uptown area.
City Manager Brian Saeki addressed public comment asserting the acquisition of the five parcels will lead to its developers to collaborating with colleagues on the other developments and that they may favor “clear-cutting,” where trees are removed from a designated construction area.
“That’s just not the case, at least at this point,” Saeki said. “It’s not part of the discussion that we’ve ever had with the City Council.”
Saeki made the case for the five lots be developed for parking and park space, a proposal Councilmember Mary Ann Pacheco supported, especially in light of the new housing developments planned for the Alpha Beta site, which would include 344 new affordable housing units in the north points of uptown.
“We feel very strongly this makes an immense amount of sense to purchase and acquire and to develop for parking and park space,” Saeki said.
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