Sunday, July 19, 2026

Altadena Residents Aim for a Say in the Future of North Lake Avenue

A virtual Altadena Steadfast workshop gathers community input on public and open spaces along the fire-scarred corridor

As Altadena rebuilds, one of the topics which continues to rebound is ‘what should its public spaces become?’ On Tuesday evening, Altadena Steadfast will host a virtual workshop inviting residents to weigh in on the future of the community’s parks, plazas and open spaces, with this session focused on the North Lake Avenue area.

According to Altadena Steadfast’s announcement of the event, the online workshop repeats a recent in-person session and is offered virtually to reach residents who could not attend. The group says the session is open to residents and that registration is required.

The effort builds on months of community-driven design work. It began in earnest with an October open house at the Loma Alta Park gym, followed by a series of workshops led by design professionals, through which the group says it has gathered residents’ ideas about how the unincorporated community might reshape its shared spaces as it recovers from the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

Altadena Steadfast is part of a planning effort carried out with Altadena Heritage and Los Angeles County Regional Planning and Public Works staff. In its public statements, the group has framed the work as listening rather than dictating, saying it is asking a community still processing trauma what it wants and must be guided by that as the work evolves. Steadfast LA, the nonprofit founded by Rick Caruso to speed rebuilding in fire zones, sponsors the initiative.

Organizers have said that home rebuilding consumed the overwhelming share of recovery attention in the months after the fire, while planning for parks and public spaces had barely begun — a gap these sessions are meant to help close. According to the organizers, the input gathered is intended to inform a design brief for county officials and the Altadena Recovery and Rebuilding Commission, shaping official proposals rather than leaving the corridor’s future to market forces alone.

Tuesday’s session narrows the focus to the northern stretch of Lake Avenue in Altadena — which the group refers to as North Lake Avenue — among the parts of the community hardest hit by the fire. According to Steadfast, participants will respond to design concepts the team has developed and offer their own ideas for how the street and its surroundings might serve residents in the years ahead.

Information about the session is available through Altadena Steadfast, which can be reached at info.altadenasteadfast@gmail.com.

The Altadena Steadfast virtual community workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. online, according to the group’s announcement. Registration is required.