La Cañada closes $11.23 million deal on new City Hall, former Sport Chalet headquarters
The final chapter in the life of City Hall at 1327 Foothill Blvd. began to unfold following Tuesday night’s City Council announcement that escrow would close Wednesday on the new La Cañada Flintridge municipal building in the Town Center.
City Treasurer Jeff Wang said all parties involved “worked well” in the details of the transaction, and added that the city is in a very strong position.
“We have ample and robust funds for all needs,” Wang said during the regular City Council meeting.
By midday Wednesday, Mayor Jon Curtis reported by phone the history-making property deed had been officially recorded.
“I’m really pleased we’ll have a new facility that will be much more efficient, more customer friendly and citizen friendly, and that will better serve the residents of La Cañada,” Curtis said, adding later in the conversation, “now the fun begins.”
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Last month, officials declared the final purchase price of the property, formerly the headquarters of the now-defunct Sport Chalet, would be $11.23 million. The currently crowded 7,160-square-foot Foothill Boulevard City Hall building has been occupied since the 1970s, and houses 25 full-time employees and roughly 16 additional part-time employees, according to City Manager Mark Alexander. The new building is approximately 27,881 square feet.
For the new property, the city will spend $5.65 million from its reserve fund now and pay off a promissory note from the seller, La Cañada Properties, Inc. in the amount of $5.58 million, secured by a deed of trust. The note will have a 30-month term during which no monthly payments will be required and no interest will accrue.
Alexander said all the locks are being changed, and the insurance, security alarms and other early transferring items have already been dealt with. There is no move-in date yet, and since interior renovations are needed, the full move to the renamed 965 Town Center Drive, formerly 2 Sport Chalet Drive, will take about a year.
“It’s an open-floor call center [layout],” Alexander said. “Our floor plan is creating walls and offices.”
Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, the council learned from the L.A. County Fire Department that the recent storms did not impact the city as badly as some surrounding areas. There were some accidents on the 210 Freeway and a few fallen trees, but no flooding or serious injuries. Edward Hitti, director of public works, said there was some over spill on a canyon trail that a contractor will look to reinforce the current structure in place. The trail is currently closed.
“We’ve been very fortunate in our storm drain maintenance system and designing,” Hitti said.
One of the fallen trees knocked down a Southern California Edison power line on Saturday, and Hitti said a temporary power generator is supplying electricity to five affected homes.
Tending to other agenda items, the council unanimously approved an ordinance related to building code related to the applications process for new homes. A section of the ordinance requires electric vehicle charging station wiring be installed at the site. Also, there’s an amended requirement for construction waste, raising the required recycling minimum from 50% to 65%.
Council members also decided Tuesday to join the nearby cities of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena and area of unincorporated Los Angeles County — current members of the Arroyo Verdugo Subregion Steering Committee — in forming a collective joint powers authority.
One of the main impetuses to join is to increase lobbying efforts on fresh transportation-related issues, such as Assembly Bill 287 regarding the 710 Freeway. The bill aims to find a solution to the State Route 710 corridor gap between the 10 and 210 freeways and prohibits the construction of a freeway tunnel.
Sara Cardine contributed to this report.
Sanderson is a contributor to Times Community News.
Twitter: @MattySandz