On August 22, the Pasadena Design Commission is scheduled to once again take up consideration of a plan to redevelop a commercial building at 141 S. Lake Avenue with housing and ground-floor retail.

Back in 2019, project applicant DC Lake Holdings had pitched the construction of a new six-story development on the property which would have featured 91 residential units atop 10,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial uses. Revised plans discussed in a staff report to the Design Commission now indicate a larger proposal, featuring 134 residential units atop nearly 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space (likely to be a restaurant) and subterranean parking for 282 vehicles.

Lake and Hudson Avenue elevationsLCRA

The proposed project would employ density bonus incentives to permit more housing and floor area than Pasadena's zoning rules would normally allow. In exchange, six of the new apartments are to be set aside for rent as affordable housing.

LCRA is designing the updated project, taking the reins from Moule & Polyzoides, another Pasadena mainstay which had designed the earlier iteration of the development.

"The proposed building is designed in a contemporary style as reflected in its overall rectilinear form and articulated walls that are supported by a modern material and color palette and is consistent with existing commercial and mixed-use buildings of similar design located within the surrounding context," reads the staff report. "The design features a flat roof that is stepped between the eastern and western portions of the building and features projections that accommodate elevator and stair enclosures. The elevations feature clear arrangements of window and door openings to achieve an appropriate fenestration pattern that supports the contemporary style building and is especially successful on the S. Hudson Avenue side of the building."

141 S Lake AvenueGoogle Maps

The staff report indicates that the project has addressed feedback provided at a preliminary review of the project at an earlier meeting of the Design Commission, and recommends approval of a concept design review.

Plans for the 141 Lake site have gone through several iterations over the years. Previously, a smaller five-story building featuring 70 residential units was considered for the property in 2018.

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