'Pasadena Gets It'

Mixed-use Projects Draw Praise

By Richard Horgan

A watershed moment for the picture-perfect streets of Old Town Pasadena came more than 20 years ago.

Los Angeles-based Champion Development's Pasadena Collection is a mixed-use project that is scheduled to open next month. The $40 million building was designed by Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects and is being built by the San Carlos-based Wentz Group. It will include street-level retail and restaurants, offices on the second floor and 38 apartment lofts on the third and fourth floors. (Photo by Greg Aragon)

It happened in 1981 when a coalition of neighborhood and preservation groups joined forces to strike down a plan to build a pair of high-rise towers in downtown Pasadena, followed shortly thereafter by the disbanding of the city's relatively archaic redevelopment agency.

It didn't take long for a highly civilized, low-rise revitalization boom to take hold, culminating in 1992 with the completion of the historic One Colorado historic block.

Today, thanks in part to the completion last summer of the MTA's 13-mi. Gold Line light rail, which links the city to downtown Los Angeles, residential development in Pasadena is booming once again. A handful of projects are currently under construction in this city of 136,000.

They include Del Mar Station, a 500,000-sq.-ft. project anchored by the city's nostalgic Santa Fe Railroad Depot. The development on Del Mar Boulevard is bisected by the Gold Line, which makes 13 stops between the eastern edge of Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles.

When it is completed in the fall, the mixed-use center will contain 347 apartments and 11,000 sq. ft. of retail.

"City planners strive for the creation of harmonious environments that reflect the way we really live, work and commute," said John Hrovat, an executive at Los Angeles-based developer Urban Partners LLC. "Del Mar Station blends these elements into a community for people who prefer a more active urban lifestyle.

"They will be able to enjoy all the great restaurants, shopping and ambiance that Pasadena has to offer without having to get into their cars, sit in traffic or hassle with parking."

Del Mar Station will be a 500,000-sq.-ft. project anchored by the city's nostalgic Santa Fe Railroad Depot. A light-rail line that makes 13 stops between the eastern edge of Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles bisects the development on Del Mar Boulevard. When it is completed in the fall, the mixed-use center will contain 347 apartments and 11,000 sq. ft. of retail . (Photo by Greg Aragon)

Pasadena architect Stefanos Polyzoides has designed four buildings (ranging from two to seven stories) that separately celebrate the aesthetics of Spanish Revival, Art Deco, Craftsman and Industrial Modern. The historic depot, meanwhile, is being converted into an upscale restaurant.

Other projects currently under construction include Oak Knoll Condominiums, a 53-unit, four-story structure being built by Irvine-based Pacer Communities in partnership with the local architecture firm of Lim Chang Rohling & Associates, and a 103-unit mixed-use development from the Hanover Co., a Houston developer, that is based on the design of Pasadena architect Togawa & Smith.

Another mixed-use development scheduled to open next month is Los Angeles-based Champion Development's Pasadena Collection at Codova and South Lake avenues. The $40 million project was designed by Los Angles-based Nadel Architects and is being built by the San Carlos-based Wentz Group.

It will contain street-level retail, restaurants, offices on the second floor and 38 apartment lofts on the third and fourth floors.

Developer Bob Champion said that for him, the "Pasadena vibe" comes down to contemporary design choices that reflect the city's rich history and an ongoing commitment to mixed-use projects in an "urban" setting.

"I believe Pasadena has become the cosmopolitan hub of the San Gabriel Valley," he added. "As a firm, we don't do it just for the money. We are passionate about creating an urban environment instead of suburban sprawl."

Many of the architects and developers working on everything from seniors housing to upscale condominiums in Pasadena express a commitment to smart growth.

They include Don Empekaris of Santa Monica-based DE Architects, who is still basking in the glow of "Messina," a 34-unit, mixed-use condominium project on West Dayton Avenue that his firm completed last summer.

"Pasadena has embraced the concept of pedestrian-oriented design within commercial zones and has encouraged infill development more commonly associated with vibrant cities such as Toronto and Boston," Empekaris said.

"The developer/builder, JSM Messina (also based in Santa Monica) specializes in infill development in redevelopment areas, so he is very sensitive to infill urban design.

"And with the acute shortage of housing in the greater Los Angeles area, more cities need to raise their densities without sacrificing their urban quality. Pasadena gets it."

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