A vestige of an abandoned railroad right-of-way just south of the I-210 Freeway could be developed with multifamily housing, according to a presentation to the Pasadena Design Commission.

East elevation for proposed townhomes at 244 & 256 Michigan AvenueLCRA

Rose City Holdings, LLC, an entity affiliated with Pasadena-based Morillo Construction, Inc., hopes to is seeking approvals for the development of a mostly-vacant site which runs between Michigan and Chester Avenues to the north of Walnut Street. Plans call for the construction of a pair of two-to-three-story buildings containing 31 condominiums atop 67 parking stalls in a single basement level.

LCRA is designing the project, along with landscape architecture firm TGP, which is described as being of a generally Spanish Colonial Revival style with an exterior of stucco with barrel tile roofing, wood shutters, and metal railings. The two buildings would have linear forms, flanking a central green space and amenity area between.

The project, which is scheduled for its concept design review at the November 9 meeting of the Commission, incorporates feedback from a preliminary review before the body in 2019. A staff report indicates that the project complies with relevant design guidelines, and recommends approval.

244 & 256 Michigan AvenueGoogle Maps

Before being left as a mix of vacant land and surface parking, the development site was a component of the defunct San Gabriel Valley Railroad, which once linked Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles.  A portion of the defunct railway's right-of-way is now used by Metro's L Line, and another vacated segment to the east is slated to be developed with micro-unit apartments.