More than a year after wildfire tore through Altadena, the physical damage is only part of that community’s plight. For many homeowners, rebuilding remains financially out of reach. For others, the fear is more existential: that recovery could erase the cultural identity of one of Los Angeles County’s most venerable historically Black communities.
That tension—between rebuilding and displacement—was at the center of a February 4 discussion presented by ULI Los Angeles in partnership with SoCal NOMA, the National Organization of Minority Architects. The event, held at Arcadis’ downtown Los Angeles offices, brought together architects and development leaders deeply involved in Altadena’s recovery to examine what progress looks like now, what barriers remain, and how design and real estate professionals can help communities rebuild without losing their identities in the process.
Hosted by Macerich Senior Leasing Manager Matthew Ridley at Arcadis’ downtown Los Angeles offices, the discussion brought together three architects deeply involved in Altadena’s recovery: Matthew Trotter, associate principal at Cunningham and president of SoCal NOMA; Lance Collins, director at Partner Energy; and Steven Lewis, president of Thinking Leadership. All three are active members of SoCal NOMA’s Altadena Rebuild Coalition.
“Holding space with a hopeful, engaging, and honest discussion one year after the Altadena wildfires is crucial,” Ridley said. “It was expected that, by the one-year mark, there would be a need to keep this historic community in focus for what resources and continued collaboration are needed to restore the city. There are leaders across different sectors who are doing important work there, and this event is a spotlight on their tireless efforts and an outlook for inspiring more progress.”
Helping to guide families through that progress, which can be complex and difficult, is the primary aim of NOMA’s Altadena Rebuild Coalition: “A typical homeowner may not know the challenges of building and design,” Collins said. “By volunteering our time and experience, we can be the connections taking them to their goals.”
NOMA’s Altadena Rebuild Coalition meets twice a month with other recovery organizations and Los Angeles County officials to coordinate rebuilding efforts and document pathways forward. One outcome of that collaboration is the 175-page Project Recovery response plan. Developed in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 fires, the plan was a joint effort by ULI Los Angeles, the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, and the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. This extensive effort brought together multiple working groups to outline near- and long-term actions for recovery.
“This is a strong example of how understanding the problem can lead to meaningful progress,” Trotter said, referring to Project Recovery and its many recommendations.
Recovery roadblocks are numerous, ranging from basic infrastructural needs—some destroyed stop signs and streetlights have yet to be replaced—to insufficient funds for families to rebuild, despite their home insurance payments.
Insurance payouts alone are insufficient to cover rebuilding costs in Altadena, Collins said.
Many claims cover less than 30 percent of a home’s value. A separate source of compensation is also limited. The U.S. Justice Department determined that the Eaton Fire stemmed from high-power transmission lines operated by Southern California Edison, but families of four are expected to receive no more than $300,000 from the resulting settlement—and not until 2027, according to Collins. With rebuilding costs now estimated at $500 to $700 per square foot, and with much of residents’ wealth tied up in homes they no longer have, rebuilding remains out of reach for many families.
Another dilemma: Between the time when many Altadena homes were built and when the Eaton Fire destroyed them, some neighborhoods were rezoned to commercial use, Collins said. This change means that, in addition to the usual costly and time-consuming bureaucratic hurdles to rebuilding, many victims now must apply for conditional-use permits because of the altered zoning.
“Families are facing these problems at a time when they are struggling with the biggest trauma of their lives,” Collins said.
Historic Home-Ownership Rates
Altadena has enjoyed a higher-than-average per capita proportion of Black homeowners and residents. Before the Eaton Fire, Black, Latino, and Asian households in Altadena owned their homes at nearly twice the nationwide rate—with 74 percent of Black households, 61 percent of Latino households, and 72 percent of Asian households owning their homes. The fires may have changed those numbers.
A recent study by UCLA research teams at the Latino Policy and Politics Institute and the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge highlights significant racial disparities in Altadena’s rebuilding process. The findings, summarized in an issue of UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate’s Economic Letter, show that many families remain stalled in rebuilding decisions, whereas others have left the area altogether. As of August 2025, fewer than one in 10 homeowners whose homes were severely damaged had sold or listed their properties.
The study also found that Black homeowners in Altadena are less likely to own their homes free and clear, and that they face higher housing cost burdens, according to research professor Paul Ong. Ong’s analysis builds on earlier research by UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center, which documented that Black households in Altadena were disproportionately affected by damage and destruction from the Eaton Fire.
Even before the disaster, Altadena’s Black populace had been declining—from 43 percent in 1981 to 18 percent at the time of the fire, Trotter noted. Without targeted intervention, he said, redevelopment following the fires is likely to further erode the city’s African American presence.
“How will their identity be preserved?” he asked. “It will take massive resources.”
Lewis concluded the meeting by stressing the important roles that NOMA and all design and real estate professionals can play in recovery, by acknowledging the pain while aiming for hope.
“These younger architects are grounded in their love for the industry and service to the people,” Lewis said. “They understand that speaking your trauma is the first step toward healing.”
