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The Whittier
City Council, April 2008 |
April 2008
Welcome to the City of Whittier’s website! I encourage
you to peruse the site and familiarize yourself with the City’s
services and programs.
The City of Whittier recognizes the importance of historic
preservation and maintaining an excellent quality of life
for residents. It is our desire to have a community where
we can LIVE, WORK and SHOP in Whittier. However, we also know
that without sufficient sales and property tax revenue, the
City will not be able to provide the quality services we have
come to rely on. It is especially important to keep this in
mind now, considering the State’s difficult economic
times and as we prepare for the adoption of a new budget for
Fiscal Year 2008-09.
We have a busy year ahead of us with many major projects
currently in construction or in the planning phase. During
the coming year, the City Council will focus its efforts on
continued economic development and build upon the successes
of the recent past such as the Whittwood Town Center.
The upcoming adoption of the new Uptown Whittier Specific
Plan will present opportunities for a revitalized business
district and additional sales tax revenue. We expect the new
Uptown Specific Plan will encourage downtown pedestrian-oriented
storefront retailers to consider opening in Whittier. Additionally,
with the proposed increase in housing, the foot traffic and
nighttime population will help support the businesses in Uptown
(“SHOP” in Whittier).
Another area for development opportunities is the Workplace
District of the Whittier Boulevard Specific Plan. This area,
between Philadelphia and the “Five-Points” intersection,
is critical as we desire to attract developers who specialize
in medical office and health science/education/biotech mixed
use projects to create a synergy with Presbyterian Intercommunity
Hospital’s five-story medical office building and four-story
hospital expansion building. Furthermore, job creation in
the Workplace District will be beneficial for residents interested
in working close to home (“WORK” in Whittier).
The City Council also looks forward to the completion of
the Whittier College expansion in the next few months; the
Gables 96-unit Townhomes, which will include 15 affordable
units for working families and provide additional property
tax revenue for the City; and our continued partnership with
the Whittier Area Chamber of Commerce (“LIVE”
in Whittier).
We are proud of our charming community nestled against the
hills and hope that whether you LIVE, WORK, SHOP or even play
in Whittier you share the same enthusiasm as we do. Thank
you for visiting the City of Whittier’s website.
Sincerely,
Joe Vinatieri
Mayor
