PUBLIC RESPONDS TO LA28 CROSS COUNTRY COURSE PROPOSAL

On August 4, we provided formal notice for the proposed removal of 34 oak trees associated with the LA28 Cross Country Course at Santa Anita Park. This was after several focus groups and community meetings since May designed to ensure that the neighbors and those most affected would have time to provide input and get their questions answered.

Despite these efforts, our notice went a bit viral.

The City has received 446 emails regarding the proposed removal of the 34 oak trees. Of those:

• 48 emails were from Arcadia residents;

• 101 did not identify the sender’s place of residence; and

• 297 were from individuals who live outside of Arcadia.

Approximately 75% of the emails were submitted via a form letter or modified version of the form letter. Many of the form letters were shared through the Instagram account

“@chaney.trail.corridor”, which included a link to a form letter that was sent directly to certain City staff and City Council members.

The notice period ends August 17, 2026, for this administrative review process.

Because we have been receiving comments and questions from people both within and outside of Arcadia, we felt it was important to hold an additional Community Meeting to give the broader community an opportunity to learn more about the proposed project. The meeting will provide an opportunity to view the entire project, learn more about the proposed course, and ask questions directly of project representatives. We will delay our final determination on the proposal until after the community meeting.

In partnership with LA28 and Santa Anita Park, the City will host the Community Meeting on

Thursday, August 27, 2026, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. in the Chandelier Room at Santa Anita Park.

An email about the Community Meeting was sent to everyone who has contacted the City regarding the proposed project (446+ individuals), and a notice was mailed to nearby property owners (approximately 1,300 residents). A copy of the postcard is attached. We will also post notice of the meeting on our social media pages. We have also created a webpage with additional information about the project, including the Arborist Report, Biological Technical Report, course map, Community Meeting information, and parking map. All of these materials are available at www.ArcadiaCA.gov/OakTreesatCCC.

A few things to note regarding the proposal:

• The designs have been revised 8 times to reduce the impact on trees. At one point, over 200 trees would have been affected. The latest iteration even splits the course to go around two specimen trees.

• Over 400 trees will remain in the immediate area of the removed trees.

• While the proposal calls for 34 new trees to replace the ones being removed, the City Code

generally requires a 2:1 replacement (68 trees). The only relief from this would be if Santa

Anita agreed to plant larger replacement trees than the standard used (24-36 inch box trees).

Our decision will address this issue, along with the proposed locations for replacement.