Local Residents Show Support for Housing on Church Property

In comments to the Planning Commission, local residents are showing support for building affordable housing on church property.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to take part in a study session on the matter at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The meeting can be viewed at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88512873044.

“We need a full mix of people of different economic levels to have a healthy community,” said Rob Muthiah, a member of the Pasadena Mennonite Church. “It is unjust to make those at the lower end travel in order to work and serve those at the higher end.”

The Planning Commission discussed the item twice last summer. In October, staff members asked the City Council for direction on moving forward with the possibility.

At that meeting, council members were receptive to the idea and directed commissioners to dive more deeply into the issue “with a sense of urgency.”

The city’s zoning code identifies religious institutions with temporary homeless shelters as a land-use type that is permitted or conditionally permitted in various zoning districts throughout the city. 

The land-use type is defined as a “religious assembly use” with temporary facilities for the homeless. This land use is allowed with a conditional use permit (CUP) or a minor CUP in all residential zoning districts, including single-family residential, as well as most zoning districts throughout the city’s specific plan areas, according to a staff report.

The state is mired in an affordable housing shortage as home prices continue to skyrocket.

City staff has met with various groups for additional input. So far, the general sentiment is that 100% affordable housing projects would require a certain density to be feasible. Adaptive reuse of existing structures could also be feasible.

Churches in San Diego and Walnut are currently building housing projects on church property, including a 45-unit project in Walnut Creek. The Clairemont Lutheran Church in San Diego is seeking to build approximately 12 low-income homes on an existing church parking lot. The city eliminated parking standards based on pew count and reduced overall requirements. 

Local residents praised churches for stepping up and offering their property for housing. 

“I’m delighted to hear that local churches are stepping up to offer their land for affordable housing,” said Pasadena resident Bin Lee. “But they’re hamstrung by current zoning rules. This also makes things difficult for affordable housing developers, most of them nonprofits who lack funds to build low-density projects. I ask the commission to adopt policies and zoning changes that enable churches and developers to build higher-density affordable housing to help alleviate the housing crisis.”  

According to the staff presentation, the City Council could vote to amend specific land uses that apply to religious facilities in zones that currently allow housing by right.

The amendment would include general standards for religious facility housing, including parking requirements as defined by state law. Project density would be limited to underlying land-use restrictions.

For zones that do not currently permit housing, qualifying projects with housing could be permitted. A discretionary review process, similar to a hotel conversion permit, would be necessary and the city would need to establish density provisions based on lot size and nearest adjacent residential zone. Other factors could also apply. 

“So many people I know are struggling to pay rent and can’t afford to buy housing in Pasadena due to skyrocketing costs,” said Anne Tipton. “Churches across Pasadena are stepping up to offer their land for affordable housing, but they need the zoning to be changed to let them do that! This zoning change will speed up the process of building the housing we need and will make the process considerably less expensive, which makes affordable housing dollars stretch further so that more can be built.”