Design Commission Approves Final Design for New 13-Unit Family Residential Development Along North Hill Avenue

Pasadena Design Commissioners on Tuesday approved the final design review application for an 11,580 square-foot multifamily development on Hill Avenue by a 6-1 vote.

The development is planned for 439 North Hill Avenue.

Commissioners Christopher Hawthrone and Timothy Sales were absent during the meeting. Commissioner Stephen Lapira voted against the proposed design.

The architectural style that will be used for the proposed two- to three-story, 13-unit multifamily development with at-grade parking is “contemporary Craftsman.”

The Holliston Avenue Landmark District, consisting largely of Craftsman-style single-family houses, is located just two blocks to the northwest of the project site.

The building features cubic massing with gabled roofs that vary in height from two to three stories and graduates from east to west.

The front portion of the building consists of a two-story volume with flats on each floor. The rear portion of the building consists of two-stories of flats atop a surface parking garage.

A final design review approval is required prior to the filing of a building or a site development permit for a project.

During the meeting, the commissioners concurred with the conditions set forth by the city staff, which will be reviewed prior to the issuance of a building permit for the project.

Under the conditions, the new residential units shall incorporate into their design air filtration systems with a minimum Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 rating.

The project shall comply with the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and any changes to the proposed landscape design that may be required shall be reviewed and approved by staff prior to issuance of the building permit.

The development must also demonstrate consistency with the city’s Climate Action Plan.

“This whole process, the way this project has evolved, I commend the applicant. It’s been a huge improvement. It’s a much nicer project,” Commission Chair Srinivas Rao said during the Commission’s public hearing.

The Design Commission approved the application for Concept Design Review for the proposed project last July 13.