The Planning and Community Development Department will formulate recommendations that would amend the city’s zoning code to allow vacant lots in religious facilities and colleges to be used for affordable housing developments.
The department presented a report containing its recommendations to the city during a Planning Commission study session on Wednesday.
According to the report, the department is also exploring the establishment of regulations to allow some affordable housing projects to be allowed “by right.”
“By right” projects are subject only to a review by the Design Commission but not a review by the hearing officer or the Planning Commission for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) or other discretionary entitlement.
As per the department’s initial recommendations, at least 80% of the units for rental housing that will be constructed in churches or colleges’ vacant lots,
should be reserved for affordable to low-income households.
For ownership housing, either 80% of the units should be affordable to moderate-income households, or 50% of the units should be affordable to low-income households and 30% of the units should be affordable to households earning up to 150% AMI (area median income).
At the meeting, commissioners of the Planning Commission asked the city staff to explore the use of other institutional sites besides churches and colleges and allow housing in these sites to be 100 percent affordable.
“I cannot see why those two kinds of uses are more special with respect to building housing than in any other public or semi-public or non-profit,” said Commissioner Julianna Delgado. “If the goal here is really to provide affordable housing then I think we need to think broadly and we have to think in terms of being 100 percent affordable.”
“That will also help nonprofits and schools that are in financial difficulty to help them along too. So there’s kind of a financial aspect that not only churches can benefit from but other non-profits and other people that contribute to our quality of life,” she added.
The other commissioners, including Commissioners Steven Olivas and Mic Hansen, echoed Delgado’s comments.
“I would definitely be open to broad interpretation of institutional facilities but not at the cost of postponing this,” said Olivas.
“What our city needs is not necessarily more market rate housing but more affordable housing,” Hansen said.
Since last year, the city has been discussing the use of underutilized parcels in churches for affordable housing following calls of churches and other faith-based organizations.
The Planning and Community Development Department will return to the Planning Commission this April, for a formal recommendation, taking into consideration the Planning Commission’s comments.
City staff are expecting that the proposal will reach the City Council in May.
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2 thoughts on “City Department to Recommend Code Changes Allowing Affordable Housing on Churches, Colleges’ Vacant Lots”
Planning needs to look at and revise the entire housing situation in Pasadena. Countless regulations and city fees make it nearly impossible to legalize any of the numerous existing ADU’s in Pasadena that were built years ago. If you contact any company that specializes in ADU services they immediately inform you of the expensive, red tape and time it will take as soon you tell them the property is in Pasadena. Hopefully in the near future our city leaders will address this situation with fair regulations that can be implemented by the mom and pop owners of these properties without breaking the bank or having to totally rebuild their existing structures.
A sensible step towards providing a more livable Pasadena.