Whittier Adopts Plan to Revitalize Neighborhood
The City Council has voted unanimously to let a La Habra nonprofit firm revitalize a much-maligned neighborhood. The vote gives formal approval to plans that have been in the works for months.
La Habra Neighborhood Housing Services will provide loans and other assistance to residents who live in the blocks surrounding John Greenleaf Whittier Park, just west of downtown Whittier. In return, the city will pay La Habra Neighborhood Housing Services $45,000 for the firm’s administrative fees and contribute $50,000 to a revolving homeowner loan fund.
At one time, the city had considered letting a developer raze much of the area near the park to build market-rate, senior-citizen apartments. The City Council nixed the idea after vehement protests from neighborhood homeowners.
The redevelopment project also will eventually include the construction of townhouses for first-time home buyers at the corner of Penn Street and Union Avenue.
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