Commission to Discuss Design Review Application for Affordable Housing Project

The Design Commission will discuss an application for design review of plans by the Salvation Army to build a four-story 68-unit affordable housing project at 1000 E. Walnut St.

“The application presents design revisions in response to the conditions of approval from the previous concept design review phase in addition to providing more detailed plans, elevations, sections, and color and material information for the project,” according to a staff report contained in the commission’s agenda. 

“The current drawings are more fully detailed and present a palette of materials that is consistent with the design of the building,” the report states

The commission will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting can be viewed at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83976837258

The project would replace the Salvation Army’s current social services building located on the southwest corner of Walnut Street and Catalina Avenue.

“The Hope Center is one of those rare projects we all love – bringing 65 units of permanent supportive housing with a quarter set aside for homeless veterans,” said Vice Mayor Andy Wilson. “No wonder the City, the County and generous community members are lining up to underwrite this important project.  Captain Terry and his team at the Salvation Army are both committed and capable of helping our community address a critical need for more housing combined with vital social services.  We need more quality projects like this to truly tackle the growing challenges of homeless which are only being exacerbated by this devastating pandemic.”

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

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.

The city’s Economic and Development Committee unanimously passed a recommendation to the City Council to increase municipal financing for an already-approved four-story affordable housing complex planned by the Salvation Army.

The City Council originally approved an Affordable Housing Loan Agreement for the Hope Center in November 2019.

The original agreement provided $1 million in city loan funding. The Committee on Thursday approved doubling the amount to $2 million.

In May, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to provide $378,000 to the Pasadena Hope Center, a new permanent supportive housing project that will be developed by the Salvation Army.

The estimated original cost for the Hope House was $31.8 million. According to the presentation to that committee by the city’s Housing Department, new financial factors arose, creating the need for developers to amend terms of the agreement.