City Council to Hear Salvation Army Plans to Expand, Build 68-Unit Hope Center Supportive Housing Project

Pasadena’s City Council will be briefed Monday on The Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle Corps’ plans to build a 68-unit supportive housing facility that will replace its current social services building located on the southwest corner of Walnut Street and Catalina Ave.

The Salvation Army has submitted an application for a Predevelopment Plan Review (PPR) as the initial step in seeking the City’s approval for the project at 1000 East Walnut Street so they can build a new four-story, 47,193 square-foot, single-room occupancy (SRO) facility with 68 dwelling units.

The project will be called the Salvation Army Hope Center.

The ground floor is proposed for charitable-institution land use, providing services offered by the Salvation Army, according to plans submitted to the Department of Planning and Community Development. Sixteen at-grade parking spaces would be provided for the charitable institution land use.

The project site consists of 27,098 square feet or 0.62 acres and is zoned CG (Commercial General), and the existing two-story, 20,295 square-foot commercial building is proposed to be demolished.

Currently, the Salvation Army uses the facility to provide social services to Pasadena area residents facing economic crises, homelessness or a threat of homelessness, and other challenges. Services include food distribution, crisis counseling; cash, utility, and material assistance; homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing assistance for veteran households, and referrals.

All of the services currently being provided will continue in the new project, using 8,859 square feet of space on the ground floor, according to the Salvation Army’s application.

A portion of the existing building is leased to commercial office tenants; this activity will not carry over to the proposed project, according to the report.

Plans show the new facility, once completed, will house 65 very-low-income units, a resident manager’s unit, and two studio units for staff.

Last November, the Salvation Army obtained a $1 million loan from the City’s Housing Successor Low Income Housing Asset Fund to fund the proposed project, which it said will house 16 homeless military veterans, among other beneficiaries.