Commission to Consider Changes to Affordable Housing Project on E. Walnut Street

The Pasadena Design Commission on Tuesday will consider a recommendation from the Department of Planning and Community Development to approve major changes to an approved 58-unit housing project on East Walnut Street, allowing developers to add two units and substitute cheaper materials amid rising construction costs.

Heritage Housing Partners, the project’s developer, is seeking permission to replace brick cladding with stucco on parts of the building and to increase the number of units to 60. The changes, according to the developer, were necessitated by a nearly 20 percent rise in construction costs since the project was initially approved in 2022.

“As a density bonus project that is providing affordable housing units, project costs are highly impactful to the feasibility of the project,” the Planning and Community Development Department said in a staff report.

The development, located at 1870-1890 East Walnut Street, 170 N. Parkwood Ave., and 175 N. Greenwood Ave., will consist of eight two-to-four-story buildings arranged around two central courtyards. It will offer for-sale units and include subterranean parking.

In addition to the material changes and increased density, the proposed modifications include alterations to the roofing, balcony designs, and fenestration patterns. The project will also feature a decorative scalloped detail at the stucco parapet and replace precast concrete detailing with glass fiber reinforced concrete profiles.

The Planning Department said the proposed changes were justified by current economic conditions and remained consistent with the city’s design guidelines. The Department said several conditions will need to be imposed, including requirements for specific stucco colors and finishes.

The project has been in development since Oct. 13, 2020, undergoing multiple reviews and approvals. It received its initial building permit in November 2023 and is now seeking modifications to the approved plans.

On Aug. 9, the Current Planning Section approved a modification to the project’s Conditional Use Permit.

The modified project will still provide affordable units, although the exact number was not specified in the staff report. The development’s location near the Allen Street Metro station makes it part of Pasadena’s transit-oriented development efforts.

The project also involves tree management, with approval given to temporarily relocate a protected specimen tree during construction and replant it later, the report said. Two street trees will be removed and replaced with six new trees of the same species.

Tuesday’s Design Commission meeting will be the City Council Chamber at City Hall and begins at 6:30 p.m. It is open to the public.