Projects Are Plentiful in Pasadena

The city has under construction about 900 residential units, nearly 300,000 sq. ft. of office space and about 50,000 sq. ft. of retail. One of the largest projects under construction, the $136-million Central Park Market at Del Mar Station, consists of four new residential buildings totaling 484,458 sq. ft.

By Greg Aragon

The City of Roses has become a city of construction projects.

The Prado on Lake will be an upscale apartment complex on Green Street and Lake Avenue. Amenities include a private screening room, Internet cafe, gourmet kitchen for special events and gated underground parking (photo by Paul Napolitano).

"I've never seen anything like this in my 20 years here," said resident Sue Bull, 41, a warehouse manager who lives about a mile from the city's Old Town and steps away from its most famous street, Colorado Boulevard. "It's hard to drive through town without seeing some kind of construction going on."

The city has under construction about 900 residential units and nearly 300,000 sq. -ft. of office space and another 50,000 sq. -ft. of retail.

"Development is definitely at a high point right now," said Eric Duyshart, economic development manager for Pasadena. He added that contributing to the growth are low interest rates, a strong local economy and completion of the 11-mi.-long Gold Line light rail that runs between east Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles.

Duyshart said that he sees the city's hottest sector as the office market, which has a six percent vacancy rate for class A and B office space, far below the Los Angeles County average of 14 percent and the lowest in Southern California. He said Pasadena currently has about 7 million sq. ft. of office space, compared to Los Angeles with 33 million sq. ft., Beverly Hills with 6 million sq. ft. and Long Beach with 4 million sq. ft.

Highlighting development in this area is the new $53-million Crown City Center at the corner of at Lake Avenue and Walnut Street, one block south of the 210 and 134 freeways and the Gold Line light-rail system.

Developed by IDS Real Estate Group of Los Angeles, the 233,579-sq.-ft., six-story project broke ground in November 2003 and has begun tenant move-in this month.

"I think [this project] provides an excellent opportunity for Pasadena-based companies who are experiencing growth and need to expand," said David Saeta, IDS principal and portfolio manager.

One such company is Indy Mac Bank, which is making the Class A office building its new corporate headquarters by leasing the fifth and sixth floors, as well as installing a bank branch on the bottom floor, for a total of about 90,000 sq. -ft.

Crown City Center on Lake Avenue is a development of IDS Real Estate Group of Los Angeles. The 233,579-sq.-ft., six-story project broke ground in November 2003 and has begun tenant move-in this month. Indy Mac Bank is making the Class A office building its new corporate headquarters by leasing the fifth and sixth floors, as well as installing a bank branch on the bottom floor, for a total of about 90,000 sq. ft. The L-shaped building was designed by Los Angeles-based Langdon Wilson and built by the Glendale-office of PCL Construction (photo by Greg Aragon)

The L-shaped Crown City Center, which was designed by Los Angeles-based Langdon Wilson and built by the Glendale-office of PCL Construction, features two levels of subterranean parking and 4.5 levels of above-grade parking for a total of 690 cars; a palm-covered courtyard; a restaurant to be named; and a highly visible cylindrical corner-designed exterior.

"It's meant to be a gentle cross between a modern building and a traditional Pasadena building," said Mark Nay, a senior associate partner with Langdon Wilson, a downtown Los Angeles-based architecture firm that has designed nearly a dozen office buildings and more than 1-million sq.-ft. of office space in Pasadena over the last 50 years.

One of the largest projects under way, in the south side of the city, is the $136 million Central Park Market at Del Mar Station. Developed by Denver-based Archstone Smith, the project consists of four new apartment buildings (two seven-story and two four-story) totaling 484,458 sq. ft. and offering 347 units. Rental rates have yet to be established.

The project, which is bisected by the Metro Gold Line's Del Mar Station, will also feature 20,000 sq. ft. of retail; underground parking for 1,200 cars (600 spaces for Gold Line passengers and 600 for residential parking); and a restaurant located inside the renovated 7,694-sq.-ft., 100-year-old Santa Fe Depot.

A construction highlight of the project is the use of approximately 20,000 prefabricated metal-stud panels for framing instead of wood or the more expensive cast-in-place concrete, or structural steel.

"This is not very common in this [type of construction]," said David Beegle, senior project manager with Cypress-based Taisei Construction Corp., the project's general contractor. "But the [prefabricated panels] are enabling us to go up seven stories on a framing- type building, which, if it was wood-framed, we could only go four [stories]."

One of the largest projects under way is the $136 million Central Park Market at Del Mar Station. Developed by Denver-based Archstone Smith, the project consists of four new apartment buildings (two seven-story and two four-story) totaling 484,458 sq. ft. and 347 units. The project, which is bisected by the Metro Gold Line's Del Mar Station, will also feature 20,000 sq. ft. of retail, underground parking for 1,200 cars and a restaurant located inside the 100-year-old Santa Fe Depot (photo by Greg Aragon).

Central Park Market at Del Mar Station is located on Del Mar Avenue., between Arroyo Parkway and Raymond Avenue. The nine-building project broke ground in June 2003, and three of the nine buildings have been completed.

It was designed by Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects Inc. and is scheduled to open in March.

Another large mixed-use project is the $70 million Trio, which consumes an entire city block in the city's historic Playhouse district.

Co-developed by Aliso Viejo-based Shea Properties and San Francisco-based Capital and Counties U.S.A. Inc., the 283,000-sq.-ft. project covers 3.8 acres and is bordered by Colorado Boulevard, Madison Avenue, Union Street and El Molino Avenue.

The four-story project consists of 304 apartments, 14,600 sq. ft. of street-level retail and 2.5 levels of underground parking for 1,350 cars. Also on the site are two historic structures, an eight-story First Trust Bank building and a parking garage, both of which date to the 1920s. The bank building will continue to function as an office for First Trust and the parking structure, a historic landmark, has been transformed into Trio's leasing office and community center.

"Trio is designed to harmonize with the character of this historic community, offering three distinct styles of external architecture," said Bill Gaboury, president of Shea Properties.

The three design types (thus the name Trio) are a fusion of urban, contemporary and traditional Spanish styles.

"Great measures were taken to retain the historic integrity of downtown Pasadena," said Aram Chahbazian, a principal with Irvine-based Thomas P. Cox Architects, the project's designers. "When designing the new portions of Trio we had to be respectful to the historic context of the building, but we could not copy or mimic it."

Trio, which opens next month, was built by San Diego-based Wermer's Multifamily Corp. Irvine-based Style Interior Design contributed to the historical renovation of the project.

Apartments at Trio will rent from $1,450 a month, for the 532-sq.-ft. Audrey Hepburn studio unit, to $3,900 a month for the 1,645-sq.-ft., two-bath Anthony Quinn suite, which features either one bedroom plus a mezzanine or two bedrooms.

Greg Currens, a principal with Style Interior Design, said that he thinks the city has done a "wonderful" job in identifying what buildings are historic and should be kept, and which ones have seen their better days.

The $70-million Trio in the Pasadena's Playhouse district is being developed by Aliso Viejo-based Shea Properties and San Francisco-based Capital and Counties U.S.A. Inc. The 283,000-sq.-ft. project covers 3.8 acres and is bordered by Colorado Boulevard, Madison Avenue, Union Street and El Molino Avenue. The four-story project consists of 304 apartments, 14,600 sq. ft. of street-level retail and 2.5 levels of underground parking for 1,350 cars (photo by Greg Aragon).

"You don't want to save something just because it's old," said Currens, who is also working on the landmark Stuart Pharmaceutical Building at the corner of Sierra Madre and Foothill boulevards. "You have to identify what is old and special."

Built in 1958 by architect Edward Durrell Stone, the 35,000-sq.-ft. Stuart Pharmaceutical Building was cited that same year by the American Institute of Architects as one of the five best designs of the year. The architect's integration of glass, screen walls, columns and light fixtures gave the building a unique character, which is still evident today.

The $54-million project is being developed by Irvine-based BRE Properties and designed by Orange-based Architects Orange. The endeavor is currently going through the entitlement process and is scheduled to break ground in the fall.

Except for ocassional filming activity, the building has been empty for about 20 years.

When complete in the second quarter of 2007, the project will offer 187 apartment units with granite countertops, fireplaces and European-styled cabinetry. A 19,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse will feature a coffee bar, fireplace, large-screen TV, game tables and kitchen.

Other amenities include a fitness center, business center and atrium area. Monthly rents will range from approximately $1,400 to $2,500.

Currens' company was responsible for preserving, the historically significant portions of the structure's interior, a process that BRE says will cost about $1.5 million.

"With these kinds of projects, first we tell our clients that historic preservation will most likely add cost to the bottom line, and secondly, we're probably going to need an additional time to do the proper research and planning," Currens said.

"We also need to allow time for such special work as designing custom furniture, hardware, and other accessories. Anything that has been identified as historic has to be as accurately re-created."

Pasadena City Hall Overhaul Is a Thinking Man's Project>>