Business View Magazine | October 2019

273 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2019 reduction in electricity costs by moving into an underutilized or vacant property in the city. One of the reasons Lagunitas chose to come here was because of the high quality and competitive pricing of our water. They only have two other locations in the United States – one in Chicago and one in Petaluma, California. Their third location in Azusa will service the Los Angeles region. So, that is a very useful attraction tool.” Currently, the city has two Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects in the works, which aim to take advantage of its two Gold Line light rail stations that connect Azusa to other towns and cities in the region. One major project is called The Orchard, a mixed-use project that includes 163 residential units, plus retail and commercial amenities. “It is about a block away from our light rail station, so it’s the quintessential type of mixed- use project where you’re situated close to mass transit,” says Gonzalez. “That makes it walkable and livable. We have another project coming on line – The Avenue – which is immediately adjacent to the light rail station and that includes 127 residential units and about 12,000 square feet of retail. We consider those to be catalyst projects in the heart of the city, which will attract not only residents, but more businesses and visitors to our city.” Gonzalez believes that a key to Azusa’s current successful growth has been the advanced planning that took place several years ago by city council, administration and lots of input from stakeholders. “It takes several years for things to come to fruition,” he declares, “and they’re really starting to come together now.” Matt Marquez, Director of Economic and Community Development, agrees. “I’ve been here in this job for six months and I’ve seen quite a transition over the years. I went to high school in a neighboring community, so I’m familiar with the city and how it’s transformed and why it’s become so attractive,” he claims. “It’s really been the focus on the long-range planning – getting out in front of the next trends, understanding what the next wave of development is going to be, and creating those opportunities for Azusa to flourish. Azusa was stuck in the old mindset of we get in our cars, AZUSA , CAL I FORNI A pictured Rendering of The Orchard pictured Rendering of The Avenue