Planning Commission Says Proposed Projects Are Consistent With General Plan

The Planning Commission has recommended to the City Council that 10 capital improvement projects (CIPs) proposed for fiscal years 2022-2026 are consistent with the city’s General Plan.

The projects include roof replacements at the Hill Avenue Library and the Victory Park Recreation Center. 

The new projects were evaluated against the city’s General Plan, and staff concluded that each new project would advance the goals, policies, and/or objectives of several General Plan elements such as the land use, mobility, and safety elements.

“The Planning Commission’s role in selecting capital improvement projects is fairly narrow,” said Planning Commissioner Jason Lyon. “Various city departments propose infrastructure projects. It is the Planning Commission’s job to confirm that the proposed projects are consistent with the General Plan, which is the overarching vision for planning and land use in Pasadena. If we make that determination, then it is up to our elected officials and the public to do the cost-benefit analysis and decide if each project should go forward.” 

The projects include a $75,000 assessment of the roof, electrical systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems at City Hall. 

In 2003, the City Council approved a plan for a $117 million seismic retrofit that included restoration and infrastructure improvements.

According to a city staff report, “state law authorizes planning agencies to review a city’s capital improvement projects (CIP) for their consistency with the General Plan.”

The Planning Commission is authorized to make recommendations on matters which affect implementation of the General Plan and the “…orderly physical growth and development of the city,” including capital improvements. 

The projects would see improvements at some of the city’s other major locations, including the Central Library. Although routine maintenance has been performed on City Hall since the completion of the retrofit project, some building systems are beginning to approach the end of their lifespan and require inspection and assessment to develop a comprehensive replacement program.

An additional $30 million would be spent on upgrades to the city’s Central Library, including a fire alarm system and a new fire sprinkler system; roof replacement; replacement of domestic, sanitary, and stormwater piping systems; replacement of mechanical heating and cooling systems, including ductwork, electrical upgrades, seismic structural upgrades; and improvements to the exterior courtyard.

The projects also include roof replacements at Victory Park Recreation Center and the Hill Avenue Library. 

A facilities condition assessment in 2017 and 2018 identified the roof systems at those locations as being in poor condition and in need of replacement. That project will cost $600,000.

The city will also spend $600,000 to replace underground fuel storage tanks at fueling sites that service the city’s fleet of vehicles, including those used for public safety, transportation, and animal control. 

Other projects include an $800,000 Greenway Bike Boulevard implementation project which provides for the design of enhancements to the accessibility and safety of the bicycle network along four north-south corridors identified as Greenways, including street segments of El Molino, Wilson, Sierra Bonita and Craig avenues.

The design effort would include neighborhood outreach along each corridor as part of the final design process.

Other projects include a new customer integrated system for the city’s Water and Power Department and $7,105,000 for cable replacement between the Santa Anita and Chester substations. 

According to the report, $300,000 would be needed to replace customer equipment such as transformers, switches, junctions, cable, and a resettable fault interrupter. 

An additional $381,000 would be spent on the design, installation, treatment, storage, and disposal facilities for wastewater and stormwater at the power plant. 

The Glenarm Power Plant conditions water, stores and produces wastewater, and is subject to state and federal regulations that require more stringent control of trace amounts of oil, metals and other solids in stormwater and plant wastewater discharges to sewers and storm drains. This project will be used to design and install facilities to meet regulations and ensure proper handling of water and wastewater as needed for efficient and reliable power plant operations.

The entire recommended fiscal years 2022-2026 capital improvement projects must be submitted to the City Council’s Finance Committee for review and recommendation and will be presented to the City Council for adoption.