Mayor Leads Petition to Stop Rosedale Project

A citizens group that includes the mayor announced Tuesday that it will gather voters’ signatures in an effort to block the 1,602-home Rosedale development.

Mayor Cristina Madrid said the group expects to gather 1,500 signatures by Feb. 18 to qualify for a citywide referendum on the development, planned on the site of one of the world’s largest commercial nurseries.

A City Council majority recently approved the project proposed by Lewis Homes, an Upland-based housing developer, and the Monrovia Nursery. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

“The people’s voice needs to be heard,” Madrid said. “Some of the council ignored protests that this project will hurt Azusa.”

Opponents say the project calls for too many homes in too small a space, and the financial and environmental costs to the city are too high.

Councilman Dick Stanford, who voted for the project, said the city cannot get a better development for Azusa. “This is Azusa’s future,” he said.

If the citizens group gathers the required signatures, the City Council could choose to reverse its decision to avoid a referendum.

A decade in the planning, Rosedale is intended to house about 5,500 people, more than 10% of Azusa’s current population.