The Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group on Wednesday, Sept. 24, will be holding a special meeting, where it will a receive report on the history of displacement related to the 710 freeway project.
Pasadena has been working on transforming the 50-acre 710 stub, the unfinished section of the failed freeway project in the city from Union Street to the north, Columbia Street to the south, St. John Avenue on the west and Pasadena Avenue on the east.
While the 710 freeway extension project was eventually shelved, hundreds of residents in Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno had their homes seized to make room for a project that never happened. The city has held a series of community workshops, most recently on Sept. 13, to gather input and feedback on developing a master plan for the 710 stub.
Architectural Resources Group Inc. will present the 710 Displacement Historic Report, which provides an overview of the policy and planning decisions that influenced the placement of the 710 and 210 freeways.
“Decades of policy and practices in Pasadena and cities around the country, including redlining, restrictive covenants, and zoning, systematically segregated people of color and disregarded their needs and voices,” the report read. “By the 1960s, segregation and racism were imbedded in the very fabric of land use policy.”
Chair Danny Parker said the Advisory Group will not be taking action based on the report.
“Our analysis and recommendations must be informed by data,” Parker said. “ARG’s work provides important data for this process and this project.”
Earlier this year, an oral history documentary called “Amplify” was released, which highlighted interviews of residents who were displaced by freeway projects. This summer, Pasadena City Council approved authorizing city officials to negotiate the sale of 17 properties that city purchased from Caltrans.
Caltrans seized approximately 460 properties in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
The 710 Advisory Group’s regular meetings are the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at City Council chambers at Pasadena City Hall. This Wednesday’s meeting begins at 6:45 p.m.
For more information, visit the project website.