Local Residents Oppose Tree Removal for 84-Unit Multifamily Residential Project

In correspondence to the Design Commission, local residents expressed opposition to the destruction of several trees to make way for an 84-unit multifamily residential project at 350 Cordova St.

A tree inventory submitted for the project showed there are 52 trees on the site, five street trees along the site frontage, and 17 trees that are off-site trees but in close proximity to it. Of the 52 on-site trees, 14 are protected, and of these trees, nine are proposed to be removed and three may be removed.

A total of 25 non-protected trees, according to the proposal, are to be removed.

“There has to be a way to prevent another destruction of the mature trees that are one of our cities greatest assets,” said John Latta, president of the Madison Heights Neighborhood Association. “At least find a way to plant more in different locations.”

The three-to-four-story, 83,027-square foot project involves three buildings over one level of subterranean parking.

Properties around the project site include several multistory offices and multifamily residential buildings, and a hotel between six and 13 stories in height, as well as lower-scale commercial and residential buildings and surface parking lots.

According to a staff report by the Planning and Community Development Department, the project proposed by Euclid Cordova Associates LLC will be composed of three buildings arranged in two linear blocks on the east and west sides of the site, with a linear garden between them.

“I think it’s time to slow down the development and wait to see how many people are left in the city after the coronavirus finishes the damage that is being done right now and will continue into 2021,” said Richard Luczyski.

“Everywhere we look, another building is going up. The mayor promised a slow down in development. Just wonder when he plans to start?”

The site, comprising a single 1.23-acre lot at the southwest corner of Cordova Street and South Euclid Avenue, is currently developed with a non-historic one-story complex of medical office buildings that were built in 1977. The structures are interspersed with mature trees, landscaping, a number of large boulders, a water feature, and surface parking.

“Livable Pasadena has many concerns about the proposed project, to be located at 350 Cordova St. As designed, the proposed project will remove between 9 and 12 protected trees, and a staggering additional 25 other mature trees,” said Megan Foker.

“The loss of these trees would be terrible,” Foker continued.

“The green leaf cover of mature trees is an important part of the feel and character of Pasadena. Each project plays an important role in maintaining the livability of our city. The design of this project should be carefully examined to see how most of these trees can be saved. Moreover, the approval of this project should be continued to after the holidays, and after the current surge of COVID has passed, in order for the residents of Pasadena to have time to weigh the project and to have their voices heard,” she said.

The Design Commission was scheduled to hear a preliminary consultation on the project at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“Over this past year, it has become obvious that the Affordable Housing Concession Permits (AHCP) have damaged and diminished our urban tree canopy, going so far as to destroy healthy trees and leave no room for in-ground plantings,” said Erika Foy.

“After the AHCP is awarded, protected trees cannot be saved by giving further incentives to the developer with height or reduced garden requirements because the project is already out of the scope of the General Plan,” Foy said.

“The design commission has to choose between two evils: remove the last protected trees on the block or go even bigger, which will not be consistent with our General Plan,” she said.

Members of the community can watch the meeting online through https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85925678033 or by calling (669) 900-6833 and using the webinar ID 859 2567 8033.

Comments may be submitted earlier by email to mtakeda@cityofpasadena.net or by accessing www.cityofpasadena.net/planning/publiccomment.