Council Overturns Denial of Huntington Hospital Conditional Use Permit

The City Council unanimously overturned a Planning Commission’s decision and approved a Conditional Use Permit application filed by Huntington Hospital during its Monday night meeting.

The CUP will allow the hospital to build a 100,285 square-foot, four-story medical office building along South Fair Oaks Avenue.

The project site encompasses two contiguous parcels and is located on the southeast corner of Fillmore Street and Fair Oaks Avenue. The property is a rectangular corner parcel, bordered by South Fair Oaks Avenue to the west, Fillmore Street to the north, and Edmondson alley to the east. The site is currently improved with one 18,250 square-foot commercial building and a surface parking lot.

Vehicular access to the subterranean parking would be provided from Fillmore Street. Additionally, a patient drop off area would be provided along Fillmore Street. Three loading spaces are provided which would be accessed from Edmondson Alley. No vehicle access is proposed along Fair Oaks Avenue.

“Huntington Hospital reached out to the community groups to discuss those concerns. Huntington Hospital took the time to understand the issues and to work with the community to make changes,” wrote community activist Megan Foker.

The project will next go to the Design Commission.

The Planning Commission voted 5-2 last November 17 to deny the hospital’s application for a permit that would pave the way for the construction of a medical office building, with three levels of subterranean parking, at 758 and 766 S. Fair Oaks Ave.

The Planning Commission denied the application due to concerns regarding the project’s design as well as concerns raised by the public regarding potential increased traffic in nearby residential neighborhoods, and increased noise and air pollution if the project goes forward as it had been proposed.

Pasadena Heritage and several neighborhood groups initially opposed the application. In correspondence to the City Council, Pasadena Heritage now says it supports the CUP.

“We are very pleased that changes have been made to address many of the concerns expressed, and we find that the site plan has been revised enough to move forward with this CUP,” Wrote Executive Director Sue Mossman and Andrew Salimian, presentation director. “We appreciate the Huntington team’s willingness to change the project so that it better conforms to the spirit of the pending South Fair Oaks Specific Plan.”

Huntington’s President and CEO Dr. Lori Morgan earlier said the proposed medical office building development will assure Huntington Hospital’s long-term viability in Pasadena.

“For better health care access, we need to move more of our care into the outpatient arena and this building is critical to that effort,” Morgan said during the November 17 meeting of the Planning Commission.