In unanimous vote, the South Pasadena Planning Commission has approved the construction a mixed-use development on a property flanking Metro's L Line.
The proposed development, called Seven Patios, would rise from a roughly 70,000-square-foot site at 845 El Centro Street, replacing a small office building and an adjoining parking lot. Plans call for the construction of a series of one-to-three-story buildings consisting of 57 residential units - including studios, lofts, flats, and townhomes - above 6,100 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space and two levels of underground parking.
Moule & Polyzoides is designing the project, which would present several different architectural styles. Its El Centro Street frontage is divided between a brick-clad facade and a stucco Mediterranean-style design, giving the illusion of two buildings developed separately over time. To the south along Orange Grove Place, plans call for lower-scale craftsman-style bungalows, providing a transition to the scale of the neighboring residential blocks.
The project's name is taken from the seven open courtyard areas planned across the development site. These common open spaces would be accompanied by a gym and community rooms.
Los Angeles County Assessor Records list the owner of the property as an entity managed by investor James Li, who is connected to several other mixed-use projects in the Pasadena area. The project applicant is reported to be Odyssey Development Services.
The Planning Commission's vote to approve the Seven Patios came against objections that the project would not include affordable housing, reports the South Pasadenan.
Seven Patios is the third large housing development approved by the City of South Pasadena during 2020 - a high water mark that has not been reached in more than 20 years. The other projects are an 86-unit senior living complex planned at 625 Fair Oaks Avenue and a proposed 36-unit apartment complex with retail on Mission Street.
