McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Bert Newton
Monday, May 18, 2026 12:07 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Item 12, TEFRA hearing; Yes to funding for affordable housing proposal for 600 N. Rosemead Blvd.
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am writing in support of funding for the proposed 133 units of affordable housing at 600 N. Rosemead Blvd.
That part of the city has had almost no affordable housing, and this is the first multifamily affordable housing in that part of the city.
Given the history of housing segregation in the U.S., including Pasadena, this is a significant and necessary step forward.
Its proposed placement is ideal, located on a major thoroughfare near transit stops.
Opponents claim that it is too big for its location, but they don't say why. It seems to be a subjective judgment that gets repeated over and over as fact. The only fact that matters is that it is the size allowed by law. And my subjective view is that, from the drawings that I have seen, it will be a great improvement over what is there now.
Another fear that I have heard from opponents is that there is not adequate parking and that they are afraid that residents will park in their neighborhood, Lower Hastings Ranch. There are 4 reasons that won't happen:
1. To park on the street, residents will need to get a parking permit from the city. A parking permit allows parking only within 500 feet of one's residence. The Lower Hastings Ranch neighborhood is more than 500 feet away.
2. It's too far and involves too much uphill to walk on a daily basis to get to one's car. There is only one entrance off of Rosemead Blvd into that neighborhood, and that is on Greenhill Rd., and that first block of Greenhill Rd has no parking and is a steep uphill incline into the neighborhood. A person would not only have to walk to Greenhill, but then walk up the steep Greenhill incline a full block to get into the neighborhood.
3. Many of the low income residents won't have cars.
4. There is plenty of parking available on Rosemead Blvd. for the few residents who have cars and don't get one of the 55 parking spaces provided.
The residents of Lower hlastings Ranch really have nothingto worry about. Their lives will not be impacted in any significant way.
We are desperately in need of affordable housing. We have not been able to lower the number of unhoused people in our city since 2016. Since that time both the Point-in-Time Homeless Count and the Annual hlomeless Count have remained relatively flat, and many people are found to be experiencing first-time homelessness every year.
Building dense affordable housing on major thoroughfares near transit is a win-win for everyone. It lowers homelessness and creates a more walkable and bikeable city with more viable mass transit, reducing traffic, which results in cleaner air that we all breathe.
Please approve the funding for this very thoughtful and much needed proposal for 133 units of affordable housing at 600 N. Rosemead Blvd.
Respectfully,
05/18/2026
Item 12
Rev. Bert Newton
Making Housing and Community Happen
"Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the land." Matthew 5:5 EWN Translation