New Life Holiness church (Photo – Emmanuel Kraultez)
New Life Holiness Church seeks to influence the future of the historic heart of Pasadena’s Black community.
By News Desk
“North Fair Oaks Avenue was the hub of Pasadena’s Black community,” said Pastor John Stewart of New Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church and a member of the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative. “We want to help revitalize this once thriving community.”
The N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative, a team of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH), is sponsoring a visioning event and celebration on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 2:30-5:00 pm at New Life Holiness Church, 2005 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena. During this event residents will have an opportunity to provide input into a Vision Plan for this neighborhood.
Phil Burns, principal of a local urban planning firm, The Arroyo Group, is preparing this professional Vision Plan which will be submitted to the City, as it considers updating the N. Fair Oaks Specific Plan which will shape this area’s future for the next 20 years.
“We are bringing together the community so that their voices can be heard,” said Dr. Jill Shook, co-founder of MHCH. Dr. Shook began a listening campaign in 2015, resulting in 150 surveys within a five-block area on N. Fair Oaks. In 2021 MHCH worked with the city to survey 1,000 households. The results of these surveys showed that residents want safety from the speeding traffic and crime so that economic renewal can be fostered through beautifying the streets, slowing traffic and more affordable housing and businesses.
“The status quo isn’t working,” said Dr. Anthony Manousos, co-founder of MHCH. “It has led to vacant lots and run-down buildings. This area needs a zoning amendment so there can be more businesses and affordable housing.”
Dr. Gilbert Walton, retired physician, and deacon of New Hope Baptist Church, added, “The motto of the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative is to ‘beautify but not gentrify.’”
After this Visioning Event ends at 3:30 pm, Making Housing and Community Happen will have its annual celebration from 3:30-5:00 pm, which will feature music, inspiring speakers, and a cake (actually two cakes) one to commemorate the fifth anniversary of MHCH and one for the 70th birthday of Jill Shook, co-founder of MHCH.
Affordable Housing Rock Star Awards will be bestowed on those who’ve made a significant contribution to affordable housing during the past year, such as Abram Diaz, who led the campaign to pass SB 4, a bill that rezones religious and nonprofit college land for affordable housing statewide. Lena Kennedy will present the John J. Kennedy Affordable Housing Legacy Award to the Salvation Army of Pasadena, which opened the Diane and John Mullin Hope Center in October 2023. This center provides affordable studio apartments and supportive services to 65 people experiencing homelessness.
Pasadena Visioning Event and Celebration November 19, 2023 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm Location New Life Holiness Church 2005 North Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, CA 91103
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