A series of stories about Whittier Boulevard and the four-year-old Specific Plan that seeks its renovation will begin Sunday, well assuming that no major event such as an earthquake forces it be to be held. Like the five-part series that focused on the Uptown Specific Plan, the stories will run on an occasional basis, depending on this reporter’s schedule. Sunday’s story tries to answer the question of why a four-year-old plan apparently already is obsolete.
Whittier Boulevard is important because much of Whittier’s sales tax revenue comes from businesses on this street. It’s also a major thoroughfare for traffic.
Other possible stories will look at what happened to the auto dealerships and what should go in their place, successes (renovation of Whittwood Mall?) and failures (all the vacant lots?) Whittier Boulevard, and plans for new homes. The plan is to run these stories over the next few months and provide useful information on this important topic to our readers. At the same time, the city will be hiring a consultant to revise the Specific Plan, an effort that is expected to take nine to 12 months.