Developer Asks to Demolish 1-Story Office, Replace With New 4-Story, 25,872 Square-Foot Mixed Use Building

Pasadena’s Design Commission on Tuesday will go over a proposal to demolish a 4,432 square-foot single-story commercial building with a rear surface parking lot at 100 S. Mentor Ave. in Pasadena and build in its place a four-story 25,872 square-foot mixed-use building.

The new building will have 16 residential units and 7,245 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 40-space subterranean garage, according to plans submitted to the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The proposal is currently under the Preliminary Review phase of the city’s approval process and will be discussed at a special meeting of the Design Commission Tuesday, starting at 4:30 p.m.

A staff report by the Planning Department said the project site consists of one parcel, 13,200 square feet in size, and is located on the east side of South Mentor Avenue, one parcel south of East Green Street. The existing building on the site was constructed in 1941. A Historic Resource Evaluation was recently conducted in accordance with the Pasadena Municipal Code; it was determined the property does not meet any criteria for eligibility as a historical resource.

The report said the applicant proposes a for-sale housing project. Three moderate-income units are proposed in order to comply with Inclusionary Housing Requirements (IHR). The maximum number of base units allowed is 14, but by providing three affordable units, the project will be eligible for a density bonus for two additional units, resulting in 16 units.

The project site is located within a developed neighborhood that consists of multi-story multi family residential and commercial buildings.

Immediately north of the property is the Thatcher Medical Building, listed as a contributor to the Green Street Village Landmark District. To the east is a surface parking lot for the Thatcher Medical Building, and to the south is a multi-story office building.

To the west and across the street are single-to-multi-story office buildings and associated surface parking lots.

Additional surface parking can be found southwest of the project site to serve businesses of South Lake Avenue and Shoppers Lane. The project sits near the intersection of South Mentor Avenue, and Shoppers Lane.