Jim Lomako
for Pasadena City Council, District 2
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Jim Lomako ~1500 Whitefield Road ~ Pasadena, CA 91104
626-794-1234 ~ jim4pasadena@gmail.com
February 26, 2007
Dear Mayor Bogaard and Members of the City Council:
It is time to place a moratorium on the acceptance or approval of applications for the building of residential units in the Central District.
As we all know, the number of residential units in the Central District is fast approaching the limit specified in the General Plan. On February 14, 2007, the Director of Planning and Development issued a report to the Planning Commission estimating that 3,200 units have been built or permitted and 1,536 units are in the pipeline. That leaves a remainder of only about 349 units before the cap of 5,095 units is reached. According to the report: "A project is not entitled to units until the building permit is issued."
City Staff cautions that the pipeline and remaining capacity numbers must be considered with caution as the number of units associated with any individual project in the pipeline can change as it proceeds through the process.
The city should carefully consider where the remaining units should go, the size of the projects, and how they can be made to fit with Pasadena’s tradition of fine architecture. The character of the Central District has already been transformed dramatically. We must take this opportunity to re-assess how we want the remaining units to be built. That effort should be done within the context of the community based Central District Specific Plan and without increasing the growth limits that residents voted for and still strongly support. Delay in considering how to best deal with this situation will result in increasingly limited options.
A rush to entitle projects before the residential caps are reached could result in a legacy of ill-conceived buildings that would serve as a lasting reminder of inadequate planning. The city should enact a moratorium as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Jim LomakoCC: Mark Leon, Chair, Planning Commission Richard Bruckner, Director, Planning and Development, Jane Rodriguez, City Clerk
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