Pasadena Design Commission to Vote on 88-Unit Affordable Housing Tower on East Colorado Boulevard

A proposal to demolish four aging commercial buildings on East Colorado Boulevard and replace them with a seven-story affordable housing tower will come before the Pasadena Design Commission at a special meeting set for Tuesday, March 10.

The commission is scheduled to vote on Consolidated Design Review approval for the 107,000-square-foot project at 1756-1776 E. Colorado Blvd. in Council District 7. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, Basement Training Room S018, 100 N. Garfield Avenue.

The project, developed by CPR Affordable Housing and Community Development and designed by Shelter Architects, represents a major shift for the neighborhood.

It would deliver 88 affordable residential units, two manager’s units, and approximately 1,900 square feet of ground-floor commercial space to an area currently defined by one-story storefronts.

Enabled by California’s State Density Bonus Law, the proposed building would rise 83 feet — 32 feet above the site’s standard maximum height of 51 feet. The law grants additional height and waives minimum parking requirements for projects located within one-half mile of a major transit stop that reserve 100 percent of units for lower-income households. The site sits near the A Line Allen Station Metro stop. Consequently, the developer is proposing only 21 at-grade parking spaces tucked at the rear of the building, despite a code-required count of 155 spaces.

The approximately 28,000-square-foot site is zoned ECSP-MU-C (East Colorado Specific Plan, Mixed-Use Core). While the base density allows 41 units, the density bonus permits the proposed 90 total units.

The contemporary, U-shaped design features a brick veneer base, a smooth stucco middle section spanning the second through sixth floors, and a differentiated seventh floor. Amenities include two residential lobbies, a community room, a children’s play area, an interior courtyard, a second-floor outdoor deck, and bike storage for 22 bicycles.

The Planning and Community Development Department recommends approval, noting the project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA Section 15332.

However, the proposal faces some community opposition. Lori Holloway, a nearby homeowner, submitted a public comment urging the commission to reject the project. Holloway argued the seven-story complex would erode neighborhood character, worsen parking shortages, and threaten safety. “I say NO, NO, NO to such a building down here,” she wrote.