Arcadia residents press supervisors to deny county subsidies for Oak & Ivy housing project

A lengthy public comment segment at the March 17 Board of Supervisors meeting featured sustained opposition from Arcadia residents and community organizations to Item 2‑D, a proposed Oak & Ivy affordable housing development in an unincorporated area of Arcadia.

Speakers representing parents groups, local safety organizations and school stakeholders said the project is too dense for the neighborhood, cited public‑safety and sanitation concerns, and raised questions about transparency and costs. Several commenters referenced a developer’s prior project in Carlsbad, asserting it produced high police‑call volumes near a school, and some asked the board to require an independent environmental and community impact study before approving additional subsidies.

Paloma Bustos of Loyola Law School and other advocates asked that public reports prepared for L.A. 2028 and FIFA be made public and called for dedicated funding for worker protection and prevention plans; other commenters emphasized the need to include people with lived experience and to ensure security, background checks and enforceable commitments from the developer.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, acknowledging residents’ concerns and the public hearings the developer held (including at the city of Arcadia), told speakers she had consulted county counsel and believed legal requirements had been met. No final substantive action on the Oak & Ivy funding was recorded at this meeting; the project remained a held item on the agenda for further board consideration.