Northwest Commission to Discuss Annual Plan Prioritizing 2028 Olympics and Economic Development

Preparing the city’s Northwest district to participate in and benefit from the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games would become a top priority of the Northwest Commission under a strategic plan the advisory body is scheduled to discuss Tuesday.

The plan, adopted at the commission’s June 9 annual meeting and on the agenda for its July 14 meeting, organizes the commission’s work around three areas: health and safety, economic development, and the Games, referred to in the plan as LA28. As an advisory commission, the Northwest Commission has no independent authority to enact policy; it studies issues and forwards recommendations, with the Pasadena City Council retaining final decision-making power.

Under the plan, an LA28 ad hoc committee would work to ensure the Northwest district is prepared to participate in and benefit from the Games. Its first action item would be to draft a list of requests and questions for the City Council seeking to have the city’s LA28 representative report to the commission. Commissioners Leon Doell, Jer-Adrianne Lelliott, Suzanne Madison and Christian Jones would serve on the committee.

The plan’s economic development objective would focus on equitable investment and opportunity across Northwest Pasadena. Action items would include monitoring the Commercial District Needs Assessment report and advocating for its timely implementation and for funding identified by the City Council, providing recommendations on specific plans based on statutes — including the North Lake Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Fair Oaks/Orange Grove plans — and assisting the formation of a Lincoln Avenue Business Association.

The same committee would recommend Community Development Block Grant and Capital Improvement Plan projects and receive a Northwest Area development projects report. Those items could carry particular weight for businesses and property owners along the district’s commercial corridors.

The health and safety objective would direct commissioners to identify key stakeholders in health and safety programs, work with local nonprofits and community groups serving vulnerable populations, establish measures of evaluation and key performance indicators, and engage with city departments and commissions to recommend improvements to public safety initiatives.

The commission is also scheduled to consider updates to its presentation calendar. No presentation is planned for July, while an August session would feature the City Manager’s Office on LA28 impacts, preparation and opportunities for Northwest Pasadena, presented by Deputy City Manager Alexander Souto. Presentations still to be scheduled would include the Rose Bowl Operating Company on Rose Bowl facilities and the Pasadena Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons on services and resources for older adults.

With the plan already adopted, the July discussion and the calendar updates would help guide the commission’s advisory work and its recommendations to the City Council over the coming year.

The Northwest Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, in the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.