City Council to Reconsider Appeal Over Safe Parking Program at All Saints Church

The City Council on Monday will revisit an appeal over a proposed safe parking program for people living in their vehicles at All Saints Church after the City Council previously failed to reach a final decision on the matter.

The Council will consider whether to uphold the Board of Zoning Appeals’ decision approving a minor conditional use permit that would allow the church, located at 202 N. Euclid Ave., to operate the program on its property.

The proposal would allow up to 25 participants — unhoused individuals or families living in their vehicles — to park overnight in the church’s existing parking lot.

City planners say the program would operate on a lot with 109 spaces and would not require construction or physical changes to the property. Portable restrooms and handwashing stations would be provided to support participants.

The permit application was submitted last March by Erica Tamblyn on behalf of All Saints Church. A hearing officer approved the permit in June, and the Board of Zoning Appeals upheld that decision in September. The Board’s ruling was then appealed to the City Council.

The Council first considered the appeal in November, but a subsequent motion to approve environmental exemption findings failed on a 4–3 vote.

Under Pasadena’s City Charter, Council actions require at least five affirmative votes to take effect. Because the motion received only four votes, no final decision was reached.

A second motion to reopen the hearing and continue the item also failed to receive the required five votes, leaving the appeal unresolved.

In February, the Council voted to rescind the earlier closure of the hearing and continue the matter to the current meeting.

City staff say the proposed safe parking activity qualifies for exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act because it would take place in an existing parking lot and involve no significant physical changes to the site.

The church property is located within the Pasadena Civic Center Historic District, but planners say the program would not alter or damage historic resources because no construction is proposed.

Opponents, including the Maryland Homeowners Association, have argued the program could cause environmental impacts, including air pollution from idling vehicles. Church representatives say the program would prohibit vehicle idling.

City planning staff recommend the Council uphold the Board of Zoning Appeals’ approval of the permit. Officials say the action would have no direct fiscal impact on the City.