Local News in Brief : Uptown Design Ordered

Fearing that a crucial block of its Uptown business district will be rebuilt haphazardly, the Whittier City Council ordered its staff this week to come up with a design for the block rather than wait for consultants to complete a plan for the whole area.

With the action, the city moved closer to using its powers of eminent domain to acquire property in the business zone, which was heavily damaged by last October’s earthquake.

So far, 30 buildings have been demolished in the Uptown area since the quake struck on Oct. 1, with three others slated to be torn down. The demolished buildings housed 71 businesses and contained 305,755 square feet of business space.