City Council to Review 70-Unit Project for Homeless Seniors

The Pasadena City Council plans to review a pre-developmental plan for a 70-unit mixed-use project at 710-738 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and 19-25 E. Orange Grove Blvd. 

The proposed project would include 69 Supportive Housing units for homeless seniors, one manager’s unit, approximately 2,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and a 37-space surface parking lot.

According to a Department of Planning and Community Development report, the project is proposed to be a companion project to Heritage Square which is located immediately to the north. Heritage Square already provides 70 affordable housing for independent seniors. The two projects will be developed by the same group, Bridge Housing Corp.

The project site is currently occupied by a Church’s Chicken restaurant building with surface parking adjacent to Fair Oaks Avenue and loading access through the parking lot on Orange Grove Boulevard. 

This building will be demolished to make way for the proposed permanent supportive housing project. A house that was formerly located on the site was relocated, the report said. 

When completed, the project will be approximately 36 feet in overall height. The ground floor will be occupied by a combination of residential units in the interior with common areas for the residents, and 2,200 square feet of commercial space on the perimeter. 

Around the project site – apart from the existing three-story Heritage Square housing for low-income seniors – are multifamily buildings of various sizes to the north and northeast, with retail and other commercial uses to the west, south, and east. 

A look at the plans show the project will have at least three incorporated open spaces – a northern courtyard around an existing oak tree that is to be preserved and surface parking tucked away behind the building, a central courtyard for residents, and a southern courtyard providing a massive break on Orange Grove Boulevard and open space for adjacent commercial programs. 

The project presentation is for information only at Monday’s City Council meeting and no action is immediately required.