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SoCal water resiliency projects get $159M from feds
VOL. 12,
Construction set to begin on large mixed-use complex in Arcadia
By City News Service
By Staff
F
ederal officials Tuesday announced $159 million in funding for a trio of Southern California water-resiliency projects, including nearly $100 million for an underdevelopment water-recycling facility in Carson. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, and Reps. Grace Napolitano and Nanette Barragán, both D-Los Angeles, made the announcement at the Carson facility that is named after Napolitano. The Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center will receive $99.2 million of the funding announced Tuesday. Pure Water will take cleaned wastewater that is currently sent to the ocean and purify it to produce high-quality drinking water. According to the Metropolitan Water District, which is overseeing the project
Sen. Alex Padilla speaks at a press conference Tuesday. | Screenshot courtesy of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
along with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Pure Water will produce up to 150 million gallons of water daily, enough to serve the demands of more than 500,000 homes, officials said. Purified water from the
facility will be delivered through up to 60 miles of new pipe to the region's groundwater basins, industrial facilities and two of Metropolitan's water treatment plants.
"We know that it's only a matter of time until the next devastating drought, which is why we need every tool at our disposal to protect our region's precious water supplies," Padilla said in a
See Water project Page 17
Metro begins tap-to-exit pilot program By City News Service
I
n an effort to boost safety on train lines, Metro Tuesday formally rolled out a pilot program in North Hollywood that requires rail passengers to tap their fare card to exit the subway station. The move is aimed at providing more assurance that people who are riding the trains paid the fare to board the line. Sheriff Robert Luna said in recent comments that the vast majority of people arrested
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or detained in connection with wrongdoing on the transit system had not paid the proper fare to board. Passengers are required to use a TAP card to pay the fare before boarding a bus or train. Beginning Tuesday, passengers exiting the Metro B (Red) Line train at the North Hollywood station are required to again tap the fare card to leave the station. Metro officials described it as an effort to boost
compliance with fare requirements, noting that people who do not pay the fare are subject to citation or removal from the system. According to Metro, similar tap-to-exit programs are already in place on other systems, including Bay Area Rapid Transit, Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority. See Metro Page 32
Tapping the TAP card upon exiting the station will confirm that valid fare was paid for the trip. People who did not pay the fare when they boarded the train will be charged when they tap to exit, but those people could still be cited or removed from the transit system for failing to pay up front. "We have also increased the visible presence of our teams at North Hollywood
Arcadia Mayor April Verlato presents a certificate to Reece Pettersen, a Trammell Crow Residential development associate. | Photo courtesy of the city of Arcadia
C
onstruction officially began Wednesday for a 319-unit mixed-use apartment complex in downtown Arcadia. Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Alexan Azalea, a massive residential development at 150 N. Santa Anita Ave. by Trammell Crow Residential. “Arcadia is fondly knowns as, ‘A Community of Homes,’ which is evident in the diverse array of housing types and styles available throughout our city,” Mayor April Verlato said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of the housing options offered in Arcadia, and now, through the Alexan Azalea, we can offer more opportunities for people to call Arcadia home.” The planned seven-story apartment building is near the city's Metro Gold Line station and will have 319 studio, oneand two-bedroom units each between 540 and 1,220 square feet situated above parking for over 551 vehicles, according to a city staff report. The new complex will have 26 units deemed "affordable housing" and eight "live-work" units. "This mixed-use development not only provides highquality living space, but it will also serve as a dynamic hub where individuals can seamlessly integrate living, working and socializing," city spokeswoman Jackie Tran said in a statement. "As a transit-oriented development, located one block from the Metro station, this project strikes the perfect See Arcadia apartment Page 15