Pasadena Being Held to its Regional Housing Needs Assessment

The city of Pasadena, known for innovative planning approaches to parking and transit-oriented development, is in a pitched battle with regional authorities over how much housing to build in the coming decade.

January 13, 2021, 9am PST | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

The Del Mar Station on the Metro Gold Line in Pasadena.

GTD Aquitaine

Wikimedia Commons

"The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Monday denied an appeal by Pasadena of its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation by the state, which is mandating that the city build 9,400 units of new housing by October 2029," reports Eddie Rivera.

SCAG's decision to deny the city's appeal is preliminary, according to Rivera, with a final decision expected on January 22.

In its appeal to SCAG, the city of Pasadena argued that the RHNA process failed to spread the burden of new housing construction equitably around the region. "Pasadena also contended in its appeal that 'surrounding cities have maintained economic exclusivity and racial homogeneity and have not adequately provided their fair share of the regional housing burden, particularly for lower income housing needs,'" according to Rivera.

Former Pasadena Mayor and Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole is quoted in the article saying the decision shouldn't come as a surprise, and now the city must face the challenge of planning for 9,000 units of housing, two-thirds of them designated 'affordable.'

Full Story:

Pasadena Loses Appeal of State Housing Mandate, City Must Build More Than 9,000 New Units Over Next Decade

Published on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 in Pasadena News