Council to Hear Appeal to Stop Major New Mixed-Use Green Street Project

The Pasadena City Council is once again scheduled to hear an appeal by a group called Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER) on a proposal to construct a new 254,152 square-foot mixed-use project on a 2.33-acre site located at 740-790 E. Green Street about one block west of South Lake Avenue.

The item was tabled late last month.

The appeal cited three major arguments pointing to a conclusion that the CEQA review conducted and the resulting Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) that was adopted for the project was “inadequate.”

The appeal also said the city “must prepare an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for the Project and the draft EIR should be circulated for public review and comment” in accordance with CEQA. 

The proposed three- to five-story development in two buildings consists of 14,346 square feet of ground-floor office space, 263 residential dwelling units (including 41 affordable units), subterranean parking and 4,033 square feet of publicly accessible open space.

Stanford Pasadena, LLC, submitted an application for Concept Design Review for the project in June last year. The project was approved by the Design Commission last June 13. 

On June 23, Lozeau Drury LLP filed the appeal on behalf of the group SAFER, citing disagreements with the CEQA Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project. 

Responding to the arguments, the Planning and Community Development Department said the proposed project meets the standards of the Zoning Code and requires an entitlement for Design Review only, and that no other entitlements are required. It added that since this is an appeal of a Design Review application, the City Council’s review is limited to the project’s adherence to applicable design guidelines only. 

The Department also said indoor air quality is not subject to review under CEQA, and that the required air quality analysis that was conducted concludes that the project will not result in significant impacts related to air quality. The Department said the project underwent a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and Vapor Intrusion Risk Assessment as part of the IS/MND, which did not result in any hazardous materials being identified. 

“The IS/MND thoroughly reviewed and discussed the potential for greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the mixed-use project based on established best practices for such analyses,” the Planning Department’s report said. “The Greenhouse Gas Analysis was completed when 2016 Building Standards were in place and the draft IS/MND determined that any impacts would be less than significant.”

The Planning Department said it is recommending that the City Council uphold the decision of the Design Commission to adopt the MND and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and that the City Council deny the appeal. 

“If the project is approved, the next step in the process is Final Design Review,” the Planning Department said. “At the Final Design Review stage, emphasis and focus is placed on construction details, finishes, materials, landscaping, and consistency of the project with the design approved during Concept Design Review and compliance with adopted conditions of approval.”