Planning Department to Outline $27.2 Million Budget Centered on Eaton Fire Rebuild and 710 Project

The Pasadena Planning and Community Development Department is scheduled to present a $27.19 million recommended Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget to the Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee on Thursday, a 6.2% increase over the current year that would add one new senior project manager position to oversee the Reconnecting Pasadena 710 Project.

The recommended budget would represent a $1.58 million spending increase over the Fiscal Year 2026 adopted total of $25.6 million, with department headcount rising from 87 to 88 full time positions. As an advisory committee, the Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee will not adopt the budget; the panel reviews department requests and forwards recommendations to the Pasadena City Council, which holds final budget authority.

According to the staff presentation, personnel costs would rise $917,981, or 6.3%, to $15.5 million. The presentation breaks that increase into $732,248 (5.0%) for memorandum-of-understanding-driven salary, pension and benefit adjustments, plus $185,733 for the new Senior Project Manager position. That role is currently managed out of the City Manager’s Office and would be allocated 0.80 full-time-equivalent in the General Fund (Fund 101) and 0.20 in the Building Services Fund (Fund 204). According to the presentation, the Building Services portion would be funded through the general plan maintenance fee, while the General Fund portion would be budget-neutral by reallocating qualified positions to other funds.

Services and supplies would rise $132,405, or 1.9%, to $7.27 million, with the increase tied to the Robinson Park Capital Public Art Project local artist mentorship and the Rotating Public Art Exhibit Series V. Internal service charges would jump 13.8%, or $533,102, to $4.41 million, driven mainly by an increase in Cost Allocation Plan funding of $383,197, or 40.6%.

The department oversees two restricted funds. The Building Services Fund (Fund 204), supported by building plan review, inspection and permitting fees, is projected to begin Fiscal Year 2027 with a balance of roughly $21 million and end the year at $17.55 million, with the presentation noting that fund balances are forecast to decline to $9.16 million by Fiscal Year 2030. The Cultural Trust Fund (Fund 613), funded by 20% to 25% of the city’s 1% Public Art In-Lieu Fees under a 1998 ordinance, is projected to grow from a $3.06 million beginning balance to $3.47 million by year’s end.

The presentation reports significant Fiscal Year 2026 accomplishments centered on the Eaton Fire Rebuild Program, including hosting Community Recovery and Rebuild Workshops, implementing expedited plan review and next-business-day inspections, securing approval for waived plan review and permit fees, and adopting ordinances on development standard and time limit suspensions to facilitate rebuilding. Other accomplishments include a building code update, completion of Phase I of the citywide Historic Resource Survey with a Draft Historic Context Statement, the development of Objective Design Standards, and the adoption of the North Lake Specific Plan.

The department’s Fiscal Year 2027 priorities would include the Reconnecting Pasadena 710 Project, General Plan implementation work on the Housing Element, the Noise Element and accompanying ordinance, the Safety Element and the Environmental Justice Element, and continued specific plan updates for the Fair Oaks Orange Grove and East Pasadena specific plans. The citywide Historic Resource Survey would advance into Phase II reconnaissance and Phase III intensive-level survey work, while Building & Safety would continue prioritizing the Fire Recovery and Rebuild Program and residential inspections.

According to the presentation, the department has set Fiscal Year 2027 performance targets of 90% for both next-day inspections and expedited plan review for Eaton Fire rebuild properties. For properties pursuing like-for-like rebuilds, initial plan review would be targeted at 10 business days, with each subsequent review targeted at five business days.

The Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, in the Council Chamber, Room S249, at Pasadena City Hall, 100 North Garfield Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.