For decades, the unbuilt extension of the 710 freeway left a gash through central Pasadena — homes cleared, blocks erased and neighborhoods cut off in anticipation of a highway that never came. On Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. in the Jefferson School Auditorium, residents are invited to a community meeting about what the city does with that hard-won second chance.
The gathering comes as Pasadena moves into a new phase of the Reconnecting Pasadena effort. After the state relinquished the long-contested 710 stub property to the city, the City Council appointed a Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group to chart a path forward — work that has since produced a community-driven vision plan, including the city’s first restorative justice framework acknowledging the displacement of residents, primarily communities of color, in the freeway’s path.
Councilmember Rick Cole frames the evening around a single question: now that the City Council has adopted the advisory group’s recommendations, “what comes next?” He asks how the community can move forward to build needed housing, promote healthy economic growth and create a model for sustainable development — and what residents’ hopes and concerns are for a project that will reshape this part of the city for generations.
Organizers are encouraging neighbors to attend and take part in the discussion about the road ahead, a rare opportunity to help shape the future of land that sat frozen for half a century.
The 710 community meeting will run on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. in the Jefferson School Auditorium in Pasadena. Admission is free.
