Before the Gavel: Sequoyah Students Express Their Vision for 710 Stub

Three Sequoyah School students are urging city leaders to incorporate housing, public art and pedestrian access into plans to redevelop the long-vacant 710 freeway stub, offering detailed proposals ahead of Monday’s City Council discussion.

In letters submitted as part of the public record, the students outlined distinct priorities for the 50-acre site, which city officials are considering transforming through the Reconnecting Pasadena 710 Vision Plan.

Trist Rauh, a junior at Sequoyah School, called for multi-level mixed-use development that combines ground-floor commercial space with housing above. He argued the approach would strengthen the area economically while aligning with nearby Old Pasadena.

“The main request I have is to consider the economic viability of multi-level mixed-use development via a first-floor commercial space, and however many upper stories are available to be designated for residential spaces,” Rauh wrote.

Rauh said he reviewed the city’s draft vision plan and pointed to existing mixed-use development patterns in Old Pasadena as a model, adding that varied commercial scales could support both small businesses and larger retail opportunities.

The letters come ahead of Monday’s City Council meeting. The City Council will hear the Reconnecting Pasadena 710 Vision Plan.

The plan lays out a framework for redeveloping roughly 50 acres of land originally planned for an extension of the 710 freeway.

The state seized homes in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for the extension. Local residents, mostly in South Pasadena, fought for years to stop the extension.

In 2022 the state abandoned plans to complete an ill-fated 710 freeway extension, but many minority families lost their homes.

City officials are expected to review the broader vision plan Monday and provide direction on next steps, including environmental analysis and future development options for the site.

Asha Agrawal, an 11th-grade student, focused her letter on preserving the history of communities displaced by freeway construction, urging the city to include public art installations as part of the redevelopment.

“The 710 stub is an opportunity to create a space for creative self expression, especially in a neighborhood with so much history and underrepresented diversity,” Agrawal wrote.

Agrawal said public art could help memorialize displaced residents while also contributing to economic development by attracting visitors and investment. She tied her proposal to elements of the city’s vision plan that stress place-making and community repair.

Together, the letters reflect a range of perspectives from younger residents on the future of the 710 stub, with proposals spanning economic development, cultural preservation and transportation planning.

Dashiell Stephens, a freshman at Sequoyah School, stressed transportation and walkability, calling for a dedicated pedestrian connection between a proposed transit hub and Old Pasadena.

“If we do not have a designated, simple and fast walkway from the transit hub to Old Town, people will be much less inclined to take public transit,” Stephens wrote.

Stephens said improving pedestrian access — including shaded pathways separated from traffic — could reduce congestion while encouraging more people to walk instead of drive. He added that better connectivity could also boost local businesses and strengthen community ties.