On Saturday, October 21, 2023, the West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan (WSGVAP or Area Plan) team hosted a community visioning workshop at Temple City Library for the unincorporated communities of East Pasadena-East San Gabriel and San Pasqual. The event was attended by 7 participants who had an opportunity to take part in the visioning process. Participants’ knowledge about the community, its history, and their ideas for its future will inform the development of the Area Plan. Please see the WSGVAP Fact Sheet for a summary of the Area Plan.
The event included a mix of presentation and interactive activity aimed at gathering feedback from residents. The event also integrated a resource fair component with three additional LA County Departments in attendance: Aging and Disabilities, Libraries, and Public Works.
The first activity was based around sharing favorite memories and places to provide a basis to learn community values. Values uncovered from the first activity included access to nature and recreational areas, gathering spaces to socialize, safe, shaded walking areas, and a walkable commercial district with locally owned businesses.
Next, the second activity tasked participants with reimagining community change and envisioning a local commercial area 20 years in the future. Opportunities for change included making East Pasadena-East San Gabriel safer for walking and riding, preserving neighborhood character, commercial district improvements along Rosemead Boulevard, and general safety improvements.
Finally, the third activity involved identifying specific community assets, opportunities, and concerns.
Community assets included access to nearby parks, horse-keeping, neighborhood vibrancy and unique community character, active neighborhood organizations, and walkability in residential areas. Assets were denoted in green.
Opportunities for improvement included the creation of more local businesses and enhancement of walkability along Rosemead Boulevard, development of public art, creation of green and/or recreational spaces, and improvements in crime prevention and programming. Opportunities for improvement were denoted in yellow.
Concerns within the community included urban heat island effect on sidewalks along Rosemead Boulevard and Huntington Drive, lack of connective bicycle routes and green space, automobile traffic in residential areas, crime along Rosemead Boulevard, and homelessness. Concerns were denoted in red.
Please visit the following links to view presentation slides and summary notes from the visioning workshop:
– Meeting Slides
– Meeting Notes
To keep updated on events, read notes from past events, and learn more about the plan development process, visit planning.lacounty.gov/long-range-planning/wsgvap/events/.
