Commission Recommends City Council Approval of the Environmental Study for the Proposed Central Park Apartments

The Design Commission on Tuesday moved to recommend to the City Council the approval of the Sustainable Communities Environmental Assessment (SCEA) for the Central Park Apartments project proposed to be built at 86 S. Fair Oaks Ave.

Last January 24, the City Council directed the Design Commission to conduct an advisory review of the SCEA that has been prepared by city staff for the project before it takes action.

The study, which evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) concluded that the Central Park Apartments could have a significant effect on the environment. However, “with inclusion of mitigation measures, these potential impacts related to cultural resources, noise, and tribal cultural resources would be reduced to a less than significant level.”

If the City Council approves the SCEA at a subsequent public hearing following the Design Commission’s advisory review, the Design Commission can proceed with the Concept Design review for the project.

The project site is located at the northeast corner of South Fair Oaks Avenue and Dayton Street in the Central District in Old Pasadena.

The site encompasses 32,362-square feet and is currently used as a surface parking area and residential amenity space serving the Green Hotel Apartments building.

The proposed project involves the demolition of the parking lot and the construction of 6,200 square feet of ground-floor of retail space and restaurants, four work units, and 84 residential units, including eight on-site residences for very low-income residents.

According to a city staff report, the building is not taller than the Castle Green or Green Hotel Apartments.

At the hearing, concerns about the development’s impact to traffic and the possibility that it could impact Castle Green, a historical landmark which was built in 1898 as the annex for the famous Hotel Green were raised.

“It just feels like we are allowing through the SCEA process one of our greatest architectural treasures to be unrestricted in blocking site views that have existed for 134 years,” said David Woodbury, a Pasadena resident.

Pasadena Heritage also expressed concerns about the possible impact of the development to the Castle Green as well as the Green Hotel Apartments but said it finds the mitigation measures under the SCEA appropriate to address the concern.

“One major concern Pasadena Heritage has expressed is the risk of vibrations doing harm to the Castle Green or Green Hotel Apartments. Through this environmental process, concern for adjacent historic properties has been considered and addressed with proper mitigation and vibration monitoring. We find the mitigation measures to be thoughtful and appropriate.”

Emily Taylor, director of development of project developer Goldrich Kest told the commission that design-related concerns pertaining to the project will be addressed by the applicant when it comes back to the Design Commission during the Concept Design review phase.