Downtown Pasadena “Never Been Better,” Says Neighborhood Association President Ahead of Annual Meeting

Every city has one, but Pasadena’s downtown is a sparkling gem in the San Gabriel Valley that continues to grow in popularity for people looking to live and work in a place that has the urban city vibe sprinkled with historic tradition and charm.

The Downtown Pasadena Neighborhood Association (DPNA) will hold its Annual Meeting Thursday night at which insights will be shared with its members about the urban area that makes up a large and vital portion of the city.

“It’s a great place to live, work and visit. It’s never been better,” said DPNA President Jonathan Edewards.

The DPNA has mapped out the perimeter of the downtown area as south of the 210 freeway, east of the 710 stub, north of California Blvd. and west of Catalina. This area has cemented itself as a booming area for people who want to work and play.

“The biggest thing going for downtown Pasadena is our really comfortable and walkable urban environment,” observes Playhouse District Association President Brian Wallace.

That walkability, says Wallace, promotes a lot of commerce that encourages people and places to stay local.
“We see a lot of that with new residents that are in the area who are taking advantage of locating, living and spending their time and money in the downtown area,” Wallace said. “The residential growth in the core of the city is a positive trend.”

According to Wallace, the attraction of downtown Pasadena that brings in new residents typically comes from the unique urban environment it offers, an atmosphere that is unlike many areas in the San Gabriel Valley or beyond.

“They’re really moving here for the lifestyle choice that it provides. It’s something you can’t get at many places in this region,” said Wallace.
The lifestyle the downtown area provides influences the retail sector and is reflected through the types of businesses that move in.

“We really try to capitalize on the appeal for living and playing in our culture-rich environment. That’s where we really see growth and opportunities,” said Wallace.

The economy of the downtown area of the city is proving to be healthy, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

“Downtown Pasadena is stable. The good part about it is its diverse economy. We tend to gain as many businesses as we lose. It balances itself out,” said Pasadena Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Paul Little.

Pasadena is also seeing a growing number of new arrivals of established, mature tech firms including Alibaba, WeWork and Everbridge that are bringing jobs and occupying commercial real estate in downtown.

“We’re seeing investment. That is always a good thing,” said Little who predicts the near future will bring an influx of foreign investment and more tech-based companies to the area.

“This is all with the longer term view of better aligning the local job stock with the people who live in Pasadena, so fewer people will be faced with painful commutes and might also adopt alternative transit modes (walking, biking, mass transit) to get to their high quality local job,” said District 7 Councilmember Andy Wilson, who himself is the CEO of tech company Rexter.

The increase in companies locating in downtown doesn’t necessarily mean more people are working in Pasadena.

“I think the workplace is changing. Fewer people are doing more work. More workers are fitting into smaller spaces,” said Little.

City of Pasadena Economic Development Manager Eric Duyshart said there is a healthy occupancy rate in commercial buildings.

“Companies have become more efficient in the use of their space. We’re seeing companies that are growing and adding staff, but need less square footage. That has been a trend that is not exclusive to Pasadena, but it has an impact on how commercial space is being utilized,” explained Duyshart.

Small businesses are also apart of the fabric that makes up a large portion of the dynamic downtown shopping and restaurant experience.

“The area is quite vibrant. I recommend Pasadena as a place for people to start and keep a business,” said El Portal Restaurant founder and owner Abel Ramirez.

Ramirez recalled the biggest change in the downtown area since his restaurant’s opening in 1995 is the increased quality of tenant today compared to yesterday’s variety of downmarket retail stores that once occupied the less busy Colorado Blvd.

“I’ve seen great progress in commerce, culture, the events and the quality in the restaurants and shops. I welcome the businesses that come here. Every business compliments the other. We used to be invaded by a category of stores that you don’t see that much of anymore,” said Ramirez about the abundance of shops likes nail salons and tattoo parlors that saturated retail space over twenty years ago.

Ethan Elkins is scheduled to be the featured speaker at Thursday’s DPNA meeting. Elkins is an attorney who directs the climate program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) at UC Berkeley Law and is also the author of “Railtown,” which covers the history of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system.

Elkins insight into the economic impact of Pasadena’s decision to install the light rail.

“Generally speaking, these rail investments boost property values significantly near the stations. The ultimate effect on land use around the system though depends in large part on city government. The city controls the rules about what can get built, so a proactive city government will allow more development to take place along the line and therefore boost ridership and economic gains,” said Elkins.

Some feel that getting city projects like the light rail up and running take longer than necessary to be implemented.

“There’s some frustration with how long it takes for these projects to take life,” said the DPNA’s Edewards.

Transportation is a priority for the downtown area, according to Wallace, whose area of the Playhouse district houses elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and notable universities such as the Fuller Seminary, Le Cordon Bleu, and the California Institute of Technology.

“I think Pasadena is beginning to work through how to adopt and respond to some of these bigger picture changes in mobility that we see across the country and across the world. These programs inherently create some sense of change and our district is trying to navigate the best practices in regards to the different interests from our stakeholders,” said Wallace.

Measure M is is on next week’s and is supported by the DPNA as a positive way to keep transit a priority to help accommodate the growing population of Pasadena.

“Measure M would definitely improve the lives of our residents in Pasadena and throughout the county. We are a community of people that really benefit from having a connected network of transportation options whether its walking, driving, biking and more,” said Edewards. “We strongly support measure M and we are looking forward to the results.”

The Pasadena Department of Transportation L.A. Metro approved a plan to implement a bikeshare program that is slated to take the streets in July 2017 by introducing 34 bicycle stations and 400 bikes for public use. Programs like this one are supported by the DPNA and the Playhouse District Association, but still requires additional work before they become a successful reality, according to Edewards.

“The bikeshare program is a great idea for people to get around in the city, but we also need to get some safety measures in place. The other bicycle improvements that need to be made to successfully accompany this project are not proceeding at a quick enough pace to keep up with it just yet,” said Edewards.

The Playhouse District Association is adamant about where to strategically install the docking stations.

“We’ve been working with city staff to really find the best locations for the bikeshare kiosks so we can avoid impact on existing street parking, but also recognizing that they will provide yet another way of attracting visitors, residents and guests into the district. Right now we are going through a bit of a balancing act with staff to locate those kiosks and locations where they are going to have the best impact with minimal amount of disruption to the way things have been. We are hopeful that it will be an asset to the district as it moves forward,” said Wallace.

The program described as the “Uber for bikes” is Pasadena’s effort to make it a more bike friendly city intended for use by people on the go as their “last mile connection” in and around high density areas.

“The bikeshare program is going to take a while to catch on mostly because southern California does not have a bike culture like New York does, but it’s a positive addition to the city. It’s working in downtown L.A. so we are confident it will work here,” said Little.

A longtime concern of the DPNA is the overwhelming ratio of concrete to green in downtown.

“There is definitely a need for parks. There is a gigantic gap in the most densely populated area of the city,” said Edewards about the disparity of park locations in and around the Playhouse District area.

“It’s an ongoing decision that hasn’t been resolved,” said Edewards.

A similar long term issue is the congestion of cars and lack of parking.

“Parking has always been a problem, but it’s getting better. Developers have recognized that parking is a must so they are not just building apartments — they are also accommodating residents and businesses,” explained Ramirez, who gave an example of a four story underground parking structure that was made to accompany the new office building located across from the Pasadena Playhouse.

“What was once a big problem years ago is continuing to be solved,” said an optimistic Ramirez.

Pasadena is nationally and internationally known for its revitalization strategies that helped create the success of Old Pasadena dating back to the 1980s, according to Wallace.

“For the city to remain a top draw for retailers and residents, we are trying to go through identifying what are the next set of ideas or changes that will keep Pasadena on the cutting edge of revitalization and downtown development and similar trends. We’ll be really looking at how these new ideas are going to help reshape downtown Pasadena to remain and retain its competitive advantage,” said Wallace.

There are six new hotel projects in the city that are in various stages of planning or construction. The proposed Kimpton Hotel/YWCA project that aims to convert the 1922 Julia Morgan-designed building at 79 North Marengo Avenue into a 179-room two-to-six story luxury “boutique” hotel is met with apprehension from the DPNA.

“We are not against the project, but we are in support of ‘Alternative 2E,” said Edewards in about the alternate plan proposed by the DPNA which would reduce the size of the hotel’s footprint as well as its impact on the nearby Sister Cities Tree Garden.

The future of downtown Pasadena seems undeniably bright.

“Pasadena continues to grow and we are going in the right direction,” said Edewards.

The Downtown Pasadena Neighborhood Association 2016 Annual Meeting kicks off Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Gamble Lounge located at 585 E. Colorado Blvd.

Ethan Elkins, author of “Railtown,” will discuss the recent history of the Gold Line and its prospective future, if Measure M, Los Angeles County’s transportation tax and master plan to build out a world-class, comprehensive transit network.

The event is free.

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