City of Pasadena 175 North Garfield Avenue Pasadena, Ca 91101-1704
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CITY OF PASADENA 175 NORTH GARFIELD AVENUE PASADENA, CA 91101-1704 INITIAL STUDY In accordance with the Environmental Policy Guidelines of the City of Pasadena, this analysis, and supporting data constitute the Initial Study for the subject project. This Initial Study provides the assessment for a determination whether the project may have a significant effect on the environment. SECTION I - PROJECT INFORMATION 1. Project Title: Pasadena General Plan Update 2. Lead Agency Name and Address: City of Pasadena, Planning & Community Development Department 175 N. Garfield Avenue Pasadena, CA 91101 3. Contact Person and Phone Number: Scott Reimers, Planner Planning & Community Development Department City of Pasadena (626) 744-6710 4. Project Location: The project site is the entire City of Pasadena, which is in the west San Gabriel Valley in central Los Angeles County, six miles northeast of the Los Angeles Civic Center (see Figure 1, Regional Location, and Figure 2, Aerial Photograph). 5. Project Sponsor’s Name and Address: City of Pasadena Scott Reimers, Planner Planning & Community Development Department 175 N. Garfield Avenue Pasadena, CA 91109 6. General Plan Designation: Various; see Section 8, below. 7. Zoning: Various; see Section 8, below. 8. Surrounding Land Uses and Setting: The proposed General Plan Update would apply to the entire City, spanning 14,802 acres from the southern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains in the north to the west-central San Gabriel Valley in the south. The junction of the Interstate 210 (I-210), State Route 134 (SR-134), and I-710 freeways is near the western end of the City’s Central District; the I-210 then extends east across the central part of the City and north through the northwest part of the City. The Gold Line light-rail line (Metro Rail Service Line 804) extends north–south through the southwest part of the City and continues eastward in the median of the I-210, terminating near the east City boundary. The City is nearly fully developed with a mixture of urban and suburban uses, including residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial uses (see Figure 2, Aerial Photograph). The variety of land uses in Pasadena is well-represented by the City’s Specific Plan areas: Pasadena General Plan Update Initial Study September 2013 Page 1 . Central District. Pasadena’s Central District is the City’s urban core and includes downtown Pasadena, Old Pasadena and the Civic Center/Midtown area. Colorado Boulevard, which runs east– west through the Central District, is one of the region’s premier retail destinations. The specific plan area features numerous historic and culturally important sites, including City Hall and the Pasadena Playhouse. The Central District is a dense, vibrant, and walkable mix of commercial, residential, and civic land uses. It is divided into seven sub-districts in the Central District Specific Plan. East Colorado. This area is a three mile long corridor extending eastward from Catalina Avenue to the eastern City boundary at Sycamore Avenue. It also includes Allen Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to the Gold Line station at the 210 freeway. East Colorado Boulevard features a broad variety of commercial land uses. East Pasadena. The East Pasadena Specific Plan area consists largely of retail and industrial areas near the 210 freeway, but also includes some residential uses. Industrial uses are concentrated near Walnut Street. Fair Oaks/Orange Grove. The Fair Oaks/Orange Grove Specific Plan corridor encompasses approximately 171 acres within Northwest Pasadena. The specific plan divides the area into the La Pintoresca Neighborhood Corridor, Robinson Park, and Renaissance Commercial districts. All three sub-districts feature residential and neighborhood-serving commercial land uses. The Robinson Park district also features an important cluster of civic and community-serving institutions. The specific plan area is considered the “gateway” to Northwest Pasadena. North Lake. This Specific Plan area is a commercial corridor that follows North Lake Avenue from the 210 freeway to just beyond Washington Boulevard. The corridor is surrounded by single-family neighborhoods, including Bungalow Heaven. South Fair Oaks. The South Fair Oaks Specific Plan area is south of downtown Pasadena between South Pasadena Boulevard to the west and South Arroyo Parkway (SR-110) to the east. The area is dominated by industrial uses and Huntington Hospital. West Gateway. This is a small specific plan area west of Old Town Pasadena that is surrounded by historic residential properties and is anchored by the Norton Simon Museum of Art and the Ambassador Auditorium. Lincoln Avenue. This specific plan is currently being processed and covers an area of approximately 50 acres along a 1.3 mile stretch of Lincoln Avenue. The existing land uses within the proposed specific plan area include single-family residential, multifamily residential, religious land uses, retail, auto service businesses, industrial, lodging, personal services, office, and schools. Some lots are currently vacant. The remaining portions of the City are predominately single-family neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhoods, including Bungalow Heaven and Garfield Heights in the north–central portion of the City, are known for their historic homes from the early 20th century. Existing land uses in the City are shown on Figure 3, Adopted General Plan Land Use Diagram. Unlike most of the City, which is dominated by urban development, the western portion of Pasadena is characterized by a sequence of open space areas, which are oriented to the Arroyo Seco waterway. From north to south, they include Hahamongna Watershed Park, Upper Arroyo Park, Arroyo Seco Park, and Brookside Park. Recreational and cultural amenities in the corridor include the Brookside Golf Course, Rose Bowl stadium, Kidspace Children’s Museum, and Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. As with the Arroyo Seco on the west side of the City, Eaton Wash in eastern Pasadena is a seasonal waterway that drains runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains to lower elevations in the City. The City of Pasadena is surrounded by developed urban and suburban communities in the San Gabriel Valley: the cities of Sierra Madre and Arcadia to the east; San Marino and South Pasadena to the south; and La Canada-Flintridge, Glendale, and the Community of Highland Park in the City of Los Angeles to the west; and the Community of Altadena in unincorporated Los Angeles County to the north. Two northern extensions of the City of Pasadena into the San Gabriel Mountains are each bounded on three sides (east, north, and west) by the Angeles National Forest. Pasadena General Plan Update Initial Study September 2013 Page 2 9. Description of the Project: The proposed project is the adoption and implementation of an update to the City of Pasadena General Plan (referred to as “General Plan Update”) and specific plan amendments to update the development caps within each specific plan area. The proposed changes focus on the Land Use and Mobility Elements and Land Use Diagram. The update also includes the consolidation of optional elements (cultural and recreational, historic and cultural, public facilities, scenic highways, social development, and economic development) into required elements of the General Plan. The Land Use and Mobility Elements, together with the other General Plan elements, would guide the overall physical development and circulation of the entire City through horizon year 2035. Figure 4, Proposed General Plan Land Use Diagram, shows how land uses would be distributed with the proposed General Plan Update. The General Plan Update will establish new development caps in the City and its specific plan areas, including: the Central District, South Fair Oaks, East Colorado, East Pasadena, North Lake, Fair Oaks/ Orange Grove, and West Gateway specific plans. The Land Use Element also recognizes Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan which is currently being processed by the City. Therefore, specific plan amendments will be processed concurrently with the General Plan Update. In addition to development caps, the proposed Land Use Element will change specific plan boundaries, as shown in Figure 5, Changes to Specific Plan Boundaries. The project would include a policy to sunset the West Gateway Specific Plan in the future and expand and/or modify the South Fair Oaks, Central District, East Colorado, and East Pasadena Specific Plan boundaries. The proposed General Plan Update includes a new Guiding Principle and revisions to the other seven. The following is a list of proposed Principles: 1. Growth will be targeted to serve community needs and enhance the quality of life. Higher density development will be directed away from residential neighborhoods and into the Central District, Transit Villages, and Neighborhood Villages. These areas will have a diverse housing stock, job opportunities, exciting districts with commercial and recreational uses, and transit opportunities. New development will build upon Pasadena’s tradition of strong sense of place, great neighborhoods, gardens, plazas, parks, and trees. 2. Pasadena’s historic resources will be preserved. Citywide, new development will be in harmony with and enhance Pasadena’s unique character and sense of place. New construction that could affect the integrity of historic resources will be compatible with, and differentiated from, the existing resource. 3. Pasadena will be an economically vital city by providing jobs, services, revenues, and opportunities. A diverse