Planning Process For The 710 Extension Stub at Council on Monday

The next step in the City’s plans for the relinquished 710 stub will take place on Monday when the City Council receives an information report on the planning process for the property.

“The process will involve a robust outreach process and is anticipated to span three years to develop the city’s vision for the area and several more before any development would occur,” according to a city staff report. 

In June, after decades Caltrans voted unanimously to return approximately 50 acres of property to the City of Pasadena and provide a one-time payment of $5 million.

The vote came after decades of uncertainty regarding the future of the 710 extension, and marked a historic moment in the City’s long-sought goal of re-envisioning and rebuilding what was once an integral and vibrant part of Pasadena.

Mayor Victor Gordo and Councilmember Steve Madison testified at a hearing of the California Transportation Commission in Sacramento prior to the vote.

Last year the city completed its feasibility study. The assessment did not assume any land use considerations for the project area, but rather focused on demonstrating that eliminating the freeway to freeway ramps would not impact the operations or safety of the 134 and 210 freeways.

The city will undertake a multidisciplinary community-led process to determine the future land use, transportation network, and utility infrastructure network needed to reconnect Pasadena.

More than 50 years ago, Caltrans seized hundreds of homes in southwestern Pasadena, the city of South Pasadena and the Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno through eminent domain in what ultimately became a failed effort to connect the Long Beach 710 and Foothill 210 freeways.

Caltrans demolished dozens of homes owned by African-Americans in West Pasadena for the project.

Some locals have called for the area to be used for affordable housing, while others have called for some type of memorial to the African American community decimated for the freeway extension. 

“It would not be unreasonable to assume that we will not see any developments in this area in the next 10 years,” according to the staff report.