Arcadia's City Council has signed off on a 130-unit condominium project one block from the city's Metro A Line stop, adding another piece to a downtown building boom that's pushing the San Gabriel Valley city toward a state-mandated goal of 3,214 new homes by 2029. The project, called North Village, will rise at 225 N. Second Ave. on a site that once housed the Mt. Lowe Brewing Co. taproom, with construction expected to run from early 2027 through late 2028.
According to The Real Deal, the six-story building will include a mix of studios through three-bedroom units, 187 parking spaces, and more than 17,000 square feet of amenity space featuring a gym, coworking office, and club rooms, along with ground-floor commercial space. Twenty of the units will be deed-restricted as affordable housing, reserved for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income — a threshold set at $60,520 for a one-person household, per the same report. The project is a joint effort from Giantech Construction and architecture firm HP Wu Design & Associates, and it carries a 45-year deed restriction on those affordable units, according to Urbanize LA.
Arcadia's City Council approved North Village unanimously via Resolution No. 7705 in a 5-0 vote in July, signing off on a lot merger, height waiver, and density bonus under a statutory Assembly Bill 130 CEQA exemption, according to SGV Housing. Unlike much of the rental housing rising nearby, North Village is planned as for-sale condominiums.
A Corridor Transformed by the A Line
The North Village approval is one piece of a much larger transformation taking shape around Arcadia's Metro stop, which has run passenger service since March 5, 2016, following completion of the 11.5-mile Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa, according to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. Just blocks away, Trammell Crow Residential's seven-story Alexan Azalea complex at 150 N. Santa Anita Ave. is expected to bring 319 apartments and 551 parking spaces online next year. That project converts a side alley into a pedestrian paseo linking directly to the Metro station, the same report notes.
Trammell Crow is also pursuing a second nearby project, a proposed 359-unit building at 325 N. Santa Anita Ave. adjacent to the Metro tracks. Meanwhile, at 233 E. Huntington Drive, a mixed-use complex from Elite Real Estate Holdings is underway that will add 214 residential units, 414 parking spaces, and 4,800 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. That development expands around Arcadia's historic 1922 steakhouse The Derby while replacing an adjacent surface parking lot and a shuttered Souplantation restaurant, according to The Real Deal's earlier reporting.
State Mandates Driving the Push
Cities across California are leaning on transit-oriented development to meet housing targets, and Arcadia is no exception. Under the Southern California Association of Governments' 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment covering 2021 through 2029, Arcadia's 3,214-unit mandate, according to the City of Arcadia Development Services department.
Much of the recent movement traces back to Senate Bill 79, known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, which went into effect earlier this summer. The law establishes zoning standards for multi-story multifamily housing near qualifying transit hubs in urban transit counties, according to Ascent Environmental. North Village received an Assembly Bill 130 CEQA exemption, while SB 79 sets zoning standards near qualifying transit hubs.
Growth Brings Its Own Tensions
Together, North Village, Alexan Azalea, the pending Alexan Arroyo proposal, and the Huntington Drive project could introduce well over 1,000 new housing units within a short walk of the Metro station. The projects would add new housing near landmarks like The Derby steakhouse.
Arcadia's push for transit-adjacent housing follows other recent local housing moves, including Los Angeles County's $23M boost for Arcadia housing approved for the 95-unit Live Oak Housing project in unincorporated Arcadia. The city has also emphasized trees and green space as Arcadia works toward its 2029 housing deadline.
