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Nakamura Funcial,1930..
Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association
715 E Grand Avenue Suite A, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
January 1, 2017
Arroyo Grande City Council
300 E. Branch Street
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Dear Mayor Jim Hill and City Council Members, Kristen Barneich, Tim Brown, Barbara Harmon
and Caren Ray,
As representatives of the Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association (JWA), we are
writing to ask for your support for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project(General Plan
Amendment 15-001; Development Code Amendment 15-001; Specific Plan 15-001; Vesting
Tentative Tract Map 15-001; Conditional Use Permit 15-004); and Environmental Impact
Report, Location- East Cherry Avenue and Traffic Way.
The Specific Plan gave us a framework to restore historic uses on Subarea 3 through a process that
is open to public analysis and feedback. The comments we received were extraordinarily positive.
We are grateful to the Arroyo Grande community that they support the JWA site plan to
formally honor the Japanese pioneer's contribution to farming in this Valley.
At the turn of the 20`h century, Japanese immigrant farmers began to settle and establish small
farms and families in the Arroyo Grande Valley. By the 1920s, the Japanese farming community
grew to over a hundred members. In 1928, this community formed the Arroyo Grande Valley
Japanese Welfare Association and bought 1.5 acres off of what is currently known as East Cherry
Avenue. The property had two existing houses. Originally, one house was used as a Japanese
School for their children, the other as a guesthouse for the Japanese language schoolteacher. In the
1930s, a Community Hall was built(see image above) to accommodate gatherings for religious
services,weddings, funerals, and celebrations.
At the beginning of WWII, the site became an emergency shelter for Japanese American families
forced to move east. Highway 1 was considered the first wartime demarcation line and Japanese
families were moved to the east of this line before the government moved them to incarceration
camps like Gila River and Poston War Relocation Centers in Arizona. After the war ended,
families that leased land had no home in the Arroyo Grande Valley in which to return. The site
served as the only place they could call home while figuring out their next step.
On May 1, 2011 at 4:30am, an arsonist burned and destroyed the last remaining historical
building on the JWA site. Currently, the mature trees, the rural ground and oak hillside remain.
The project being proposed for Subarea 3 in the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan will honor
January I.2017--Letter of Support.from Arroyo Grande Valley JV,'A,for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project 1
i
and build upon the history embedded in this site since 1928.As reference for the City Council,
we have included a timeline that graphically explains the JWA history, as well as representative
events relating to the site dating back close to,100 years.
As a Japanese American community,we are dedicated to giving back to a richly beautiful place
and county we call home by formally honoring the values of our pioneers whose hard work,
patience, and perseverance made it possible for us to thrive. In collaboration with Subarea 2 to
develop the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan, the Project is the best opportunity for JWA to
make this type of historical contribution to Arroyo Grande. We've attached signatures of
representatives from our farming community, five generations strong, and urge you to support
the Project with your vote.
Since ely,
Vard Ikeda, resident
�ames Ikeda, Secretary'
Gary Kobara
Leslie Hayashi
Margaret Ikeda
enol:
Exhibit A-JWA Historical Timeline
Exhibit B--Legacy of the Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association Site,History of
Events
2
Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association Community Signatures:
Name: Date:
2-
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January I.2017-letter of Support,from Arroyo Grande Valley jYVA,for the Ear Cherry.Avenue Specific Plan Project $
Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association Community Signatures:
Name: Date:
Jy�,�� 1 1 tv 117
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R� I Fuchiwaki Family: I -
I� Site Caretakers I I r----------------------------------1—, 1
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1920s 1930s 11940s i 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 20008 2010s' n
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6 Pre-application
Agriculture Zone .�.
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Arroyo Grande ValleyArroyo Grande Valley
Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association
Japanese Welfare Association Timeline 1928 to 2016 Japanese Welfare Association
-� Founded 1928 Specific Plan 2015-16
Exhibit B-- Legacy of the Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association Site
History of Events
(updated 01/01/2017)
1
hmeralofAdr.Nakalnwa, l2io�
1920s
The officers signed the Articles of Association for ARROYO GRANDE VALLEYJAPANESE
WELFARE ASSOCIATION on January 25th, 1928:
S.Kawaoka
T.Kumaki
K Saruwatari
h
k J
Kinzo Saruwatari with wife Momoju with Stone andAki
R.S.Kunitake
Hugh S. Dohi
Excerpt from the original Articles of Association:
The purpose for which it is formed were:
1. To promote the commercial,social, educational, and religious welfare of the members.
2. To own, lease and occupy houses, and to lease land for residential and commercial purposed to
the extent authorized by law.
3: To own, conduct, operate, manage and control schools,places of worship, club houses,
playgrounds, libraries, hospitals, sanatoriums, orphan asylums, homes for the aged and other
similar commercial,social, religious andphilanthropic enterprises.
January I,2017-LeUer of Support..from Arroyo Grande Vallev JWA,for the East Cher,y Avenue Specific Plan Project 5
4. To issue certificates of membership to all persons who are qualified to become members
under theby---lawsofthisawc&6on.
5. To do any and all lawful acts tending to carry out the purposes of this association.
) Bil.
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Article ofAssociation,AG ValleyJWA
The exact purchase date of the 1.5 acre Cherry Avenue property is unknown.At the time of purchase,
two
houses existed on the property. One was used as a Japanese Language School; the other was used as
the living quarters for the Japanese School sensei (teacher).
1930s
Plaque ofappreciatio n for Community Hall donated by Keisaku Fukuhara,1934.
�F 1�
o"' r
Existing 1920s house used as a Japanese School dr newly built Community Hall
r
Japan eseAm erican team photo taken on the south side ofJWAsite.
January I.2017-Letter of Support,from Arroyo Grande Valley)WA,for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project 6
6'
StoneandAyako Fujikawa weddingat the Community Hall No vember3,1935.In the backgroundfrom left to right,Japanese
SchoolHouse,GuestHouse(in center),CommunityHall basketballcourtandplayground(far right).
Wed
dingin Community Hall
1 �+ � td t. .c+ + d ty� f •�
i
JWA com mun i tygathering.
1941
Morning of December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by Empire of Japan
1942 to 1944
JWA Japanese School house and Community Hall became a shelter for families that needed to move
east .of.the wartime security demarcation line.At first, all families of Japanese decent had to live east
of Highway 1, then the line was moved further east to Highway 101.
April 1, 1942,Western Defense Command and Fourth Army Wartime Civil Control
Administration:
Instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry poster.
janua-ry I.2017-Letter of Suppa-t,from Arroyo Grande Valley JWA,for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project 7
INSTRUCTIONS
TO ALL PERSONS OF
JAPANESE
ANCESTRY
1989
April 7, 1989:Excerpt from letter to Janet Ikeda(Sansei, third generation Japanese American)
about Gakuen (Japanese School) from Seirin Ikeda(Nisei,second generation Japanese American).
"With the redress payment forthcoming we should be able to really get this thing off the ground and really
be proud of ourselves that we finally are doing this in memory of our Issei pioneers. As it is, I am
embarrassed living up like we are and having done nothing with the property and leaving no legacy."
2001
The 2001 General Plan Update changed the land use designation of Subareas 2 and 3 from
Agriculture (AG) to Mixed Use with a Planned Development(MU---PD) overlay. (excerpt from Staff
Report pre 14---001, July 8, 2014).
490 Cherry Avenue, Arroyo
Grande Parcel ID: 007---621---001
2003
In September 2003, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 3711 to change the land use
designation of back to Agriculture and revised the Conservation and Open Space Element to
include an implementation policy for mitigation of converted agricultural lands. (excerpt from
Staff Report pre 14---001,July 8, 2014)
janu7u-y I.2017-Letter of Suppore.from Arroyo Grande Valley JWA,fcr the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project 8
2008
o i X.
N" I• _� .
int = A
f
-` South Co un ty Historical SocietyMuseum,Japan eseAm erican Comm unity Exhibition.
4 v•L+:a
5 _1
2008POVE,GrandMarshallofHarvestFestivaL,.'They(POVEmembers)arethe
saltofthe earth andtheir wordtheir bond"says Dan Sutton,manager ofPO VE.
.W__ M
+or
F"ti cr
rrA�
s, Ylkx CommunityHallin2008.
�= Cal Poly meeting insideJWACommunityHaIZ 2008.
2011
Community Hall burnt down by arsonists on May 1, 2011 at 4:30am.
Januau-y I,2017-Lecrer of Support,ft om Arroyo Grande Valley JWA,for the East Cherry Avr-nue Specific Plan Project 9
f
Teapotfoundin ashes ofburnt down Community Hall
2012
Business Name:Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association
Secretary of State ID:
C0131655 Incorporation
date: 12/07/1928
Status:Active
Taxbasa Non-smdc(nonprofit)
State of Incorporation: CA
4/16/2012
President: R Vard Ikeda
Address: 715 E Grand Avenue.Suite A,Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
n is.
.c
o j
Cal Poly Ethnic Studies students and California College oftheArtsArchitecturalstudents meet for an Interdisciplinary Workshop,
Sept29,2013 atJWAsite. http://recollectin-wroiect.hloMot.com/
April 2013: Santa Maria JA community groups meets JWA to discuss the donation to build a new
community center on the JWA site as a Central Coast JA Community Center.
May 2013: Meet City ofAG
May 2013:Meet Nick Tompkins
August to November 2013:Negotiation with Nick Tompkins (owns neighboring 11.79 acres) and
Mangano Harm
Januv-y I,2017-Letrer of Support,fi-om Arroyo Grande Valley JWA.for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Plan Project 10
2014
th
On April 5 , 2014 the Nakamura family gathered for a reunion in Arroyo Grande from around the
USA(Texas, Georgia, Hawaii,New York,Atlanta,Washington DC).
_4,
2014 Nakamura family reunion photograph,above,
takenfrom the samepoint ofviewasthe 1930sNakamurafamilyfuneralpanoram icphotograph,below.
Comparingboth photographs,what remains the same over 80 years,is land ownership,the ruralground and the oak hillside.
January I,2017-Letter of Support,from Arroyo Grande Valley JWA,for the East Cherry Avenue Specific Phn Project 11