The document discusses opportunities for downtown Pasadena to become more human-scaled and walkable by implementing land use and mobility policies. It identifies underutilized areas like South Fair Oaks that have strong transportation connections and could be developed more compactly. The general plan should increase development levels and densities, especially in the Central District and South Fair Oaks, to capitalize on opportunities and create a more vibrant downtown that benefits the whole city.

1. Pasadena’s Greatest
DOWNTOWN PASADENA Opportunities
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
updated
April 17, 2013

2. The Goal:
Human-Scaled, “People-Friendly”

3. How do we get there?
★ Land Use & Mobility Policies that achieve a compact,
walkable Central District
★ Sufficient # of people
to create a “tipping point” ★ Fill in the “dead zones”

4. Transforming Drivable Suburban into
walkable urban:
★
Fill in the “dead zones”

5. OBJECTION: Some recent large projects are too big and ugly.
RESPONSE: The problem is poor design, not the size or height of the building.
“Too Tall” “Too Big” or “No Setback” are not the problems with the Trio Apartment Bldg, for example.
Look at what’s next door!

6. How do we get there?
1. Land Use & Mobility Policies that achieve a compact,
walkable Central District
• Sufficient # of people to create a “tipping point”
• Fill in the “dead zones” Form-Based Code that
improves planning & design tools
2. Implement public infrastructure projects
• Streetcar
• Street design, parks, etc.
3. Make it work for everyone. Connect all the
neighborhoods (neighborhood villages)

7. 2. Implement public infrastructure projects
• Streetcar
• Street design, parks, etc.
3. Make it work for everyone. Connect all the neighborhoods (neighborhood villages)
• What if we had a Streetcar again?

8. Where are Pasadena’s best
transit,
job,
housing,
commercial, and
walking
opportunities?

9. Sites for Improvement Empty lots & sites that are underutilized.
throughout We can do better!
Central District & South Fair Oaks

10. Pasadena’s
Best
Opportunity
is
Underutilized
Housing
South Fair Oaks
Opportuinty Where have
unparalleled transportation infrastructure,
coupled with an abundance of
underutilized buildings.
currently a
"Mishmash / Hodgepodge”
(Diamond in the rough)

11. Especially
Underutilized
Raymond Ave
Housing Less Through Traffic
Opportuinty Excess Road Capacity

12. Old Pasadena - Shopping, Arts, Office Jobs
PARK
Underutilized
Housing
Opportuinty
Medical
Jobs &
Services
South Fair Oaks unrivaled connections to the entire Southern California transportation network

13. MOMENTUM DTLA
West Los Angeles Resisted subways and has fewer freeways, is mired in traffic congestion.
New Westside connections are coming online, but momentum has shifted to Downtown Los Angeles.
Pasadena will benefit from its proximity to DTLA, and better connections to the transportation network.

14. Underutilized
Housing
Opportuinty
South Fair Oaks unrivaled connections to the entire Southern California transportation network

15. The Greater Los Angeles Region
and its
emerging regional Rail network
1. Pasadena should not ignore its
context within the greater Los
Angeles region, particularly in
regards to transportation.
2. Greatly enhanced Gold Line
connections will come on-line during
the life of this General Plan
• Gold Line to Azusa
• Downtown Connector
• LAX
• Expo Line
• Purple Line (subway to the sea)
• other Measure R
3. Our Gold Line stations are therefore
becoming more useful and more
valuable.
4. The Del Mar & Fillmore stations are
underutilized and are not located in
the middle of a freeway. Therefore
we should increase the opportunity to
build next to these stations.

16. What’s
there
now
?
South Fair Oaks unrivaled connections to the entire Southern California transportation network

17. Fillmore Gold
Line Station

18. Raymond Ave

19. Raymond Ave

20. Raymond Ave

21. Raymond Ave

22. Raymond Ave

23. Raymond Ave

24. Raymond Ave

25. Raymond Ave

26. Raymond Ave

27. Raymond Ave

28. Raymond Ave

29. Raymond Ave

30. Raymond Ave

31. Raymond Ave

32. Raymond Ave /
California Blvd

33. *sidenote
Raymond Ave has room for a long, narrow PARK
Look how wide the street is!!

34. *sidenote
Opportunity
for a
Park
or green space
on Raymond Ave

35. Opportunity for a Park
*sidenote or green space
on Raymond Ave
Ocean Parkway, NYC

36. Opportunity for a Park
*sidenote or green space
on Raymond Ave
Chandler Blvd, Burbank, CA

37. Opportunity for a Park
*sidenote or green space
on Raymond Ave
Portland, OR

38. Opportunity for a Park
*sidenote or green space
on Raymond Ave
Landcaster (Moule & Polyzoides)

39. Raymond Ave /
California Blvd

40. Raymond Ave /
California Blvd

41. Raymond Ave /
California Blvd

42. Raymond Ave

43. Raymond Ave

44. Raymond Ave

45. Raymond Ave

46. Raymond Ave

47. Raymond Ave

48. Raymond Ave
Self Storage

49. Raymond Ave

50. Raymond Ave

51. Raymond Ave

52. Raymond Ave

53. Raymond Ave

54. Del Mar
Gold Line
Station

55. Old Pasadena - Shopping, Arts, Office Jobs
PARK
Underutilized
Housing
Opportuinty
Medical
Jobs &
Services
South Fair Oaks unrivaled connections to the entire Southern California transportation network

56. Sites for Improvement Empty lots & sites that are underutilized.
We can do better!
CENTRAL DISTRICT

57. Lake Ave
Playhouse District

58. Lake Ave
Playhouse District

59. Lake Ave
Playhouse District

60. Lake Ave
Playhouse District

61. Lake Ave
Playhouse District

62. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

63. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

64. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

65. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

66. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

67. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

68. Colorado Blvd
Playhouse District

69. Walnut / Los Robles
Playhouse District

70. Walnut / Oakland
Playhouse District

71. Walnut / Oakland
Playhouse District

72. Union / El Molino
Playhouse District

73. Union / Oak Knoll
Playhouse District

74. Union / Pasadena Ave
Old Pasadena

75. Parsons
Old Pasadena

76. Walnut / Fair Oaks
Old Pasadena

77. Walnut / Fair Oaks
Old Pasadena

78. Marengo / Corson
Old Pasadena

79. Raymond Ave
Old Pasadena

80. Arroyo Pkwy / Green
Old Pasadena

81. Arroyo / Cordova
Old Pasadena

82. Arroyo / Del Mar
Old Pasadena

83. Arroyo / Del Mar
South Fair Oaks

84. Fair Oaks / Waverly
South Fair Oaks

85. Fair Oaks / Bellevue
South Fair Oaks

86. Fair Oaks / Bellevue
South Fair Oaks

87. Fair Oaks / Waverly
South Fair Oaks

88. Most important point:
We have Opportunity!
Especially in South Fair Oaks
where there are unparalleled transportation connections.
BUT
We’ll miss out if the General Plan is too constrictive.

89. Action is needed
to pursue these
opportunities:
General Plan
increase
development levels
and FARs in the
Central District
and
South Fair Oaks

90. Central District + SFO Development Levels
Metric Residential Commercial
2013 4,350 3,100,000
1994 5,395 7,767,000
Playhouse District Assoc 5,000 4,000,000
Jobs / Housing Balance 8,092 + SFO 3,100,000
SCAG County Job Growth Rate 8,518 3,407,000
40-Year Historical Job Growth 14,918 5,962,000
Arlington, Virginia analog 19,318 13,360,000

91. A strong Downtown benefits ALL of Pasadena
• Economic Vitality in the Central
District benefits the entire city.
Tax revenues collected
Downtown go to the General
Fund, which pays for fire, police,
tree trimming, parks, etc.
• Balanced Housing Opportunities
• Jobs
• Environment Sustainability
• Amenities