Centennial Place to Receive $25 Million Renovation

Big changes are coming to Centennial Place.

The Pasadena City Council passed a $3.2 million amendment to the Housing Department’s operating budget to support the Centennial Place affordable housing project at 235 E. Holly Street.

The funding will assist in a major interior rehabilitation and the transition of the facility to serve very low-income senior citizens. The 142-unit single-room occupancy building, owned and operated by Abode Communities, is set to undergo a $26.2 million renovation with state funding.

Abode Communities (formerly Los Angeles Community Design Center) began operations at Centennial Place in the early 1990s (formerly owned and operated by the YMCA as an SRO hotel). It was renovated and designed as a low-income housing project. In 2017, it evolved into a permanent supportive housing project for extremely low-income persons experiencing homelessness.

The renovation is expected to be completed by mid-2026. At that point, Centennial Place will shift its focus to provide affordable housing for seniors aged 55 and older.

The budget amendment would allocate funding from three city accounts: $2.23 million from the Other Housing Fund, $840,000 from the Low and Moderate Inclusionary Housing Asset Fund, and $165,903 from the Inclusionary Housing Trust Fund. These funds will contribute to a $3.2 million loan for the project, which includes $1.65 million from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Regional Housing Trust.

Under the terms, the City will provide a loan not to exceed $3.2 million, which will carry a 55-year term at a fixed interest rate of 3% per annum. The loan will be secured by a deed of trust on the Centennial Place property.

The funding will be used for both rehabilitation efforts, such as replacing radiators, installing a second elevator, and replacing windows, as well as for intensive case management and enhanced on-site security services.The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2026.

Upon completion, Centennial Place will operate as an affordable housing facility with rent and income restrictions for seniors. The project will be governed by a 55-year Affordable Housing Regulatory Agreement, which will enforce eligibility criteria, income limits, and annual reporting requirements.

The City also committed to ensuring that Abode Communities complies with local hiring practices and other city regulations throughout the development and operation of the project. Monthly status updates, annual operating budgets, and other reports will be submitted to the City to ensure compliance with these agreements.

The site has long been in need of upgrades.

More than 50 people living there filed a claim against the city for bedbug infestation in 2022. According to the claim, the infestation began in 2020.

At that time, tenants in the building started reporting bed bug issues in their units to the office manager.

In the summer of 2020, the office management arranged termite fumigation for units, which did not resolve the issue. “Tenants and pets were bitten and bothered by the bed bugs through present,” according to the claim.

In July, the building was evacuated after more than a dozen units were flooded.