Planning Commission Charts New Course for Development Standards at Cole’s Last Meeting as Commissioner

In his final Planning Commission meeting before being sworn in as Pasadena’s District 2 Councilmember this weekend, Rick Cole led a push to fundamentally rethink how Pasadena regulates new development, particularly as the city faces an unprecedented wave of high-density projects.

“The purpose of this exercise from my standpoint, and I only speak for myself, is not to make ugly buildings less ugly,” Cole said. “My goal here is to make it easy to build classic, simple, elegant buildings that will house people and be compatible with the traditions of Pasadena.”

The Commission unanimously approved Cole’s motion directing staff to build upon the City’s successful “City of Gardens” ordinance model while adapting it for higher-density projects. 

The City of Gardens code, adopted in 1989, was crafted to address design flaws in multi-family condo and apartment development. It mandated gardens or courtyards, drawing on classic examples from Pasadena’s pre-World War II garden apartments. It only applies to development of 48 units to the acre or less. 

Planning Commissioners have complained that many of the newer higher-density developments, particularly citing examples along Walnut Street with their blank street walls and boxy design, violate basic design principles for creating walkable, livable neighborhoods. 

The motion adopted by the Commission included expressing appreciation to staff for their work to date, developing a comprehensive coding guide for developers similar to the City of Gardens code in form if not in content, and exploring formats to bring all parties together for successful implementation.

The new standards would affect approximately 60 projects currently in the development pipeline, representing about 3,000 total housing units. 

About half of these projects and units are concentrated in the Central District, where the average project size is 65 units compared to 23 units in areas outside specific plan zones.

Planning Director Jennifer Paige said that City staff had spent nearly two years developing the standards. 

“If we have five pages of standards, that might be what we end up with,” she said. “We’re not looking to overcomplicate it.”

Commissioner Mic Hansen proposed organizing a workshop bringing together commissioners, staff, consultants, and attorneys to streamline the process. 

Members of the Commission also emphasized the need to maintain neighborhood character while meeting state requirements for objective standards.

Cole warned that state density bonus laws mean most future projects will range from 87 to 150 units per acre. 

“86.9 is the minimum,” he said, describing the increasing density Pasadena faces. “If we get ugly projects at 60 units the acre, imagine at double the density.”

In his farewell remarks, Cole praised the Commission’s diverse expertise, noting it includes “a longtime former city planner, a distinguished professor of urban planning, a successful and hard driving business executive” and other experienced professionals.

“We have 150 amazing people, that is a priceless gift to this city,” Cole said of Pasadena’s commission system. “I am going to fight as a Councilmember to give more support, training and gravitas, frankly, to our commissions.”

The planning standards will return to the Design Commission for input and further refinement. 

The Planning Commission’s next meeting will be Jan. 22, 2024, after the cancelation of the Jan. 8 session. The Commission expects to review the city’s economic development plan among other items at upcoming meetings.