South Pasadena, California Development News

South Pasadena Adopts Urgency Ordinance to Delay SB 79 Impact on Downtown Mixed-Use Zones, Citing Safety and Planning Concerns

The South Pasadena City Council considered an urgency ordinance to delay the application of Senate Bill 79 (SB 79) on specific mixed-use core (MUC) and mixed-use core 50 (MUC 50) zoned sites within the downtown specific plan area. The urgency ordinance aims to preserve the status quo on these sites, including those with existing residential or commercial uses and a recent SB 330 preliminary application for a high-density project, to allow the city time to develop a comprehensive transit-oriented development (TOD) alternative plan. This delay is crucial because the final SB 79 maps were not released until after the law's effective date, and the city needs time to analyze potential impacts on traffic, safety, evacuation routes, and infrastructure before allowing SB 79 densities, which could conflict with the city's planned alternative approach. The urgency ordinance requires a four-fifths vote and aims to protect public health, safety, and welfare by preventing incompatible development while the city formulates its own plan.