The City Council unanimously rejected an appeal Monday night, clearing the way for a proposed 46-unit housing development at 511 S. Oak Knoll Ave. following a closely watched public hearing.
The motion to deny the appeal was made by Councilmember Rick Cole and seconded by Councilmember Jason Lyon.
“This is what we do,” said Mayor Victor Gordo. “We try and make things better and listen and address concerns.”
Opponents argued the building’s mass and exterior corridor design would create light and noise impacts, increase traffic and parking pressure, and threaten a nearby protected canyon live oak.
“I believe this project is just too massive and there have been very, very few changes that have happened in this process,” said Chris Saylor. “And I feel like the developer has been very, very unresponsive to the neighborhood.”
Supporters of the project, however, pointed to Pasadena’s ongoing housing shortage and the inclusion of below-market-rate units as reasons to move the project forward.
“We just had a report from the Rent Stabilization Board that showed that the median rent in Pasadena is $2,700 per month, and that we have only a 4% residential vacancy rate. That’s a severe housing crunch by any measure,” said Michael Canavan.
The Council’s action upholds a prior decision by the Design Commission approving the four-story multifamily project, which includes six affordable housing units and one level of subterranean parking.
The development advanced through the City’s design review process before being appealed by neighboring residents.
The appeal challenged the project’s design, environmental impacts and compliance with the City’s Tree Protection Ordinance.
City staff and consultants previously concluded the project complies with applicable design guidelines and that impacts to the neighboring tree could be mitigated through project modifications and conditions of approval.
With the appeal denied, the project will proceed to final design review, where additional refinements and conditions will be addressed before construction.
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