Western Justice Center Lease Comes Under Scrutiny at Monday’s Council Meeting, Permit Decision Pushed Back

After several continuations, Pasadena City Council finally heard the appeal on a Conditional Use Permit that would allow the Maxwell House on Grand Avenue to function as an event venue, where weddings and other special events could be held.

However, Monday’s vote peeled back additional layers to the proverbial onion.

The City Council voted unanimously, 6-0 (with two Councilmembers abstaining), to expeditiously look at terms of the Western Justice Center’s lease and continue the hearing on the CUP for 30 days.

In the meantime, the WJC could apply for a Temporary Use Permit.

At issue is whether the nonprofit Western Justice Center can use the historic City-owned Maxwell House for weddings and other events to generate revenue for its operations and property maintenance. The organization has been hosting such events for approximately 15 years without proper permits, a practice that came to light only after a traffic accident associated with an event prompted City code enforcement action.

Two Councilmembers recused themselves from the discussion: Councilmember Jason Lyon, who had previously served as general counsel to the Western Justice Center, and Councilmember Rick Cole, participated in earlier hearings on this matter as a Planning Commissioner.

“The partnership between the City and the Western Justice Center has been built on trust, and that trust is reflected in the lease. We have done our part to fulfill our obligations under the lease, literally raising millions of dollars to fund repairs, improve safety and improve all of the buildings and grounds on the campus,” said Elisa Barrett, Executive Director of the Western Justice Center.

The lease agreement became a central focus of the discussion, with Council Member Steve Madison questioning whether commercial wedding activities were permitted under Section 5.1, which specifies that the property shall be used “only for the purposes described in the plan of public use for surplus property, including but not limited to… nonprofit law related functions.”

“I think if there’s any nonprofit in the City getting financial benefit… it should be this facility. And we can look the other way and say, well, they’re just supporting the mission and they’re trying to raise funds. But this is different in kind from what was contemplated,” Madison said.

Neighbors living adjacent to Maxwell House described major noise and traffic from events. Mike Davis, one of the appellants, characterized recent activities as “wild west weddings” affecting residents’ quality of life.

Richard McDonald, attorney for the appellants, emphasized that the Maxwell House was being used commercially in violation of its lease. He noted that some residents’ patios are just five feet from the event area.

Colin Dueweke, Director of Operations, revealed that the Western Justice Center’s operating expenses were about $454,403 in 2023, with campus revenue of about $297,000, resulting in a $156,000 loss before wedding revenue. The 21 events allowed would generate about $65,000 in net income, significantly less than previous revenue.

Barrett said that without wedding income “we’re in the hole somewhere around $200,000. And so then I think we’ll have to decide whether we need to return the campus to the City.”

Councilmember Tyron Hampton noted the challenge of balancing neighborhood concerns with historic preservation: “We don’t want our assets to turn into the YWCA. And so we definitely need the resources that the Maxwell House has been producing to maintain that facility the way it is. But we also represent residents and that’s my number one priority always.”

The Council discussed how the City contributes approximately $337,104 annually to maintain the Norton Simon Museum grounds as a potential model for supporting Maxwell House.

The Board of Zoning Appeals had previously approved a CUP for 21 events per year with noise limitations, down from the 28 events approved by the Hearing Officer and far fewer than the Western Justice Center’s original request, which reportedly asked for as many as 160 events.

Dueweke detailed efforts to mitigate impacts, including limiting outdoor use to three hours per event, hiring security guards to monitor guest movement, and keeping receptions indoors.

The item is scheduled to come back to the Council soon, likely on April 7.