Pasadena City Council Approves Modified Conditional Use Permit for Historic Maxwell House

The Pasadena City Council voted Monday to approve a modified conditional use permit allowing the Western Justice Center to host events at the historic Maxwell House, but with stricter limitations than originally requested.

In a 5-1 vote (Councilmembers Rick Cole and Jason Lyon recused themselves), the Council approved Councilmember Tyron Hampton’s substitute motion reducing the number of permitted events from 21 to 18, with the potential to increase after a six-month review period. The Council also imposed earlier closing times, requiring events to end by 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 p.m. on Sundays rather than the originally proposed 11 p.m. end time

The decision follows months of contention between the nonprofit Western Justice Center and neighboring residents who opposed the commercialization of the historic property in their residential area.

“I have very mixed reviews and feelings of this in general because it is a single family residential neighborhood and there are commercial uses being done within the single family residential neighborhood,” said Hampton during the discussion.

At issue was whether the Western Justice Center, which leases the Maxwell House from the city for $100 per year, should be permitted to host for-profit events like weddings to generate revenue for maintaining the historic property.

Councilmember Steve Madison strongly opposed the permit, arguing it violated both the lease agreement and zoning code.

“I really struggle to the point of not being able to agree with the findings that it can operate as a wedding venue,” Madison said during the meeting.

Residents who appealed the original permit approval cited concerns about noise, parking issues, and disruptions to their neighborhood. One appellant, Mike Davis, told the Council there was no effective mechanism for addressing complaints when issues arose.

“There’s no way for us to complain. We call the police, they say, we don’t handle this. You call code enforcement. Well, we don’t handle this,” Davis said. “When we’re in the middle of it, we respond. And then what? There’s no resolution for us. Nobody shows up.”

To address neighborhood concerns, the Council added a condition requiring the establishment of a clear complaint process with both daytime and nighttime contact information for residents, to be provided before the first event.

In comments provided by a Western Justice Center representative, Executive Director Elissa Barrett detailed changes she said were already implemented during the temporary use permit period, including adding security guards, limiting outdoor access, and moving the dance floor to a more enclosed area to minimize noise.

“We’ve been more and more successful as we’ve been implementing more and more protections for the neighbors at making sure that that garden patio use is really only happening during the wedding ceremony, and that we’re working really hard to keep people quiet,” Barrett said.

The nonprofit had previously operated without proper permits, hosting up to 86 events annually. According to a letter submitted by the appellants, the organization informed neighbors it had hosted 58 weddings in 2022 and 46 in 2023.

In a separate document presented to the Council, Western Justice Center warned that without wedding income, the organization would face a $200,000 deficit, potentially forcing them to “return the campus to the City.”

The approved conditional use permit requires a review after six months from the first event at the hearing officer level and another review at 12 months. It also prohibits events on major holiday weekends.