Fuller Seminary Wins Approval To Shrink Campus, Convert Properties To Housing

The Pasadena City Council approved Fuller Theological Seminary’s request to amend its master plan Monday night, allowing the institution to reduce its campus footprint and potentially convert some properties to residential use as it adapts to declining on-campus enrollment.

“And one of the leaders that I followed throughout many years among leaders, Max De Pree … the namesake of the Max Dupree Leadership Center at Fuller, said that the first thing that a good leader does is to define reality,” local attorney and former  Tournament of Roses President Richard Chinen told the Council. “And the reality is I speak in favor of the motion and the recommendation is that the reality is for Fuller to continue to thrive in this environment as a world-renowned seminary in Pasadena, is to have this master plan amended because of the shrinkage of the students, the way that students consume higher education.”

The approved changes will shrink Fuller’s maximum student capacity from 2,014 to 500 students and reduce required parking from 450 to 181 spaces. The plan redesignates the seminary’s 29 properties into “core” and “non-core” categories, with 15 core properties continuing as school facilities while 14 non-core properties could be sold or leased for non-school uses.

A key component involves canceling a 2006 development agreement that had restricted certain properties to student housing use. This change will allow properties to be developed under standard residential zoning allowing up to 87 dwelling units per acre.

“Fuller Seminary currently has more than 200 student housing units on campus now,” said Stephanie DeWolfe, a consultant for Fuller Seminary. “There was some student housing, I think it was a decade ago, maybe more than a decade ago, that Fuller did sell some properties and consolidated student housing. There are no changes to student housing that have happened in the last decade. There’s no changes to student housing precipitating this master plan coming forward.”

The Council also approved subdividing a parcel at 261 North Madison Avenue and changing its zoning from public semi-public to central district residential multifamily. One portion will remain as the Chang Commons student housing while the other could be developed for general residential use.

Before the final vote, Councilmember Tyron Hampton encouraged Fuller to consider making facilities available to fire victims, noting that “since Fuller does have extra property and I’ve been encouraging residents across the city that have extra space to open their doors for our residents that have been displaced by the fire so that they could be as close as possible.”

The master plan amendment passed unanimously among non-recused Council members, with Councilmembers Rick Cole and Justin Jones recusing themselves due to potential conflicts of interest.