Hearing Officer to Review Maxwell House Event Permit After Late-Night Equipment Removal

A city hearing officer on Wednesday will conduct its six-month review of the Maxwell House’s permit to host weddings and other private celebrations.

The Conditional Use Permit (CUP) allows the Western Justice Center to hold up to 18 private events annually at the historic property at 55 S. Grand Ave.

Planning staff is recommending that the permit remain in effect but that several conditions be revised. The proposed changes would clarify equipment-removal rules and require the center to give the city a monthly schedule of all events and gatherings at the property.

The proposed changes come on the heels of two occasions after the Western Justice Center reported that catering and DJ equipment was removed hours later than allowed following two events.

Under the existing permit, equipment may be removed only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of an event or the following day.

The Western Justice Center reported that catering equipment was removed between 8 and 10 p.m. following a Sept. 6 event, while a DJ finished removing equipment at about 10:20 p.m. Following a Nov. 1 event, catering and DJ equipment was removed as late as 10:30 p.m.

City staff is recommending that the condition be changed to distinguish catering and DJ equipment from tables, chairs and tents.

Under the proposed language, tables, chairs and tents would still have to be removed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Catering and DJ equipment could be removed after an event but no later than 10 p.m. Saturdays or 8 p.m. Sundays.

The Western Justice Center held three events during the six-month review period from Sept. 6 through March 6. The gatherings drew 92, 77 and 20 attendees, respectively, all below the permit’s 125-person threshold for most events.

Code compliance officers inspected two of the events without advance notice and reported no violations. Inspectors found security personnel on-site, designated parking available and no outdoor music or unauthorized patio activity.

The city received one complaint during the review period alleging that guests attending a Dec. 7 gathering parked along South Grand Avenue instead of using the designated lot at 116 S. Grand Ave.

Staff determined that the gathering was not an event regulated by the conditional use permit. Inspectors said they previously observed Western Justice Center representatives directing guests to the designated parking lot.

Pasadena police received four calls for service at the property during the review period. According to the staff report, the calls involved false alarms and reports of suspicious people who were gone when officers arrived.

Planning staff is also recommending a new condition requiring the Western Justice Center to provide the city with a monthly list of events and gatherings. The list would include each gathering’s date, time, type and expected attendance.

The reporting requirement would cover private celebrations regulated by the permit as well as trainings, fundraisers, luncheons and other activities connected to the Western Justice Center or nonprofit organizations leasing space on the campus.

Staff said the information would help the city distinguish between regulated private events and activities connected to the center’s regular operations while allowing code compliance officers to schedule inspections.

The permit was initially approved by the hearing officer in June 2024, upheld by the Board of Zoning Appeals in October 2024 and given final approval by the City Council on April 7, 2025. It authorizes weddings, celebrations and similar events as an ancillary use of the property.

A second review is required 12 months after the first event to determine whether the center continues complying with the permit.