News of the Arroyo
Title: | Monster preservation |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-03-07 |
Summary: | March 7, 2005 - Letter-writer Wayne Lusvardi takes on historic preservationist about future plans for the NFL renovation of the Rose Bowl. |
Author: | Wayne Lusvardi |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News Letters |
Content: | Sitting in on the joint Historic Preservation and Design Commissions meeting of Feb. 28 reviewing the draft EIR for the NFL Rose Bowl Renovation Project revealed a possible impending political crackup in Pasadena politics more than it did a flaw in the EIR. According to the two commissions, the only way to preserve the Rose Bowl as a historic landmark is to stack new viewing boxes on top of the outer rim of the bowl which would raise its vertical profile by the equivalent height of a 5 story building (60-feet). This is likely to end up pitting historic preservationists against neighborhood preservationists. The historic preservationists cite the National Historic Register status and the Public Lands and Tree Ordinances as legal ammunition on their side of the issue; and the neighborhood preservationists have CEQA as legal firepower on their side. The preservation of the City Hall at any cost, advocating the noneconomic preservation of the Crown Theater, and the decade-long historic preservationist embargo of the former white elephant YWCA building in the civic center should forewarn us of a repeat disaster with the preferred design alternative for the Rose Bowl. Does the community really want a renovated stadium on the mammoth scale of that found in downtown Detroit located in the Arroyo Seco in order to preserve the character defining features and historic status of the Rose Bowl? The public should be made aware that it is the historic preservationist Dilettantes who are foisting a bad design on the public while making the NFL out as Philistine culprits. Wayne Lusvardi Pasadena |
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