RESOLUTION NO: -------
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PASADENA APPROVING A 10-YEAR, FOUR-PHASE MASTER PLAN FOR MAYFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL LOCATED AT 405 SOUTH EUCLID AVENUE
WHEREAS, Mayfield Junior School has submitted an application for a 10-year, four-phase Master Plan that consists of future additions and improvements to its existing facility located at 405 South Euclid Avenue; and WHEREAS, the subject property has a Public, Semi-Public (PS) and Residential Multi-Family, 0-32 Units per Acre, Height Limit 36 feet (RM-32 HL-36) zoning designation and a General Plan designation of Institutional and Medium High Density Residential; and WHEREAS, on November 8, 2022, the Design Commission conducted an advisory review of the proposed Master Plan for Mayfield Junior School and expressed a general support of the project; and
WHEREAS, at its duly noticed public meeting on December 7, 2022, the Planning Commission fully reviewed and discussed the proposal, and recommended the City Council: 1) Find that the Mayfield Junior Master Plan is exempt from environmental review pursuant io the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act, Sections 15302, Class 2, Replacement or Reconstruction and 15314, Class 14, Minor Addition to Schools; and 2) Approve the proposed Master Plan for Mayfield Junior School by adopting the Findings and Conditions of Approval; and
WHEREAS, at its duly noticed public meeting on February 6, 2023, the City Council fully reviewed and discussed the proposal; and WHEREAS, as conditioned, the Master Plan is consistent with the General Plan Land Use designation and Zoning Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, as required by the Zoning Code, the City Council hereby finds and determines that:
1 Master Plan Findings
1. The proposed use is allowed with a Conditional Use Permit (Major and Minor) or Hillside Development Permit within the applicable zoning district and complies with all applicable provisions of this Zoning Code;
Mayfield Junior School was established in the current location since 1931. The project site is in the Public, Semi-Public (PS) and Residential Multi-Family, 0-32 Units per Acre, Height Limit 36 feet (RM-32-HL-36) zoning districts.
A "schools - public and private" use is conditionally permitted in the PS and RM-32- HL-36 zoning district with a Conditional Use Permit. The project complies with the applicable provisions of the Zoning Code as the development standards for PS and RM-32-HL-36 zoned parcels are established through a Master Plan. The Master Plan includes a defined set of development standards for setbacks, height, and minimum parking requirements, permitted uses and gross floor area, as well as conditions of approval regulating, third-party uses, and other operational restrictions.
Additionally, the Master Plan complies with other applicable provisions of the Zoning Code such as standards for specific land uses (Schools, Private) in Section 17.50 and parking and landscaping requirements in Section 17.46. The use is allowed with a Master Plan and complies with all applicable provisions of the Zoning Code.
2. The location of the proposed use complies with the special purposes of this Zoning Code and the purposes of the applicable zoning district; The purpose of the Pasadena Zoning Code is to protect and promote the public health, safety and general welfare, and to implement the policies of the General Plan by classifying and regulating the uses of land and structures within the City of Pasadena in a manner consistent with the General Plan. The site is comprised of parcels zoned PS and RM-32-HL-36. The purpose of the PS zoning district is for large public or semi-public land uses that may not be appropriate in other zoning 2 districts. The PS zone is applied to sites with a contiguous area of two acres or more, including alleys, streets, or other rights-of-way. The purpose of the RM-32-HL- 36 district is to provide appropriately located areas for medium density residential neighborhoods that are consistent with the Medium-High Density land use designations of the General Plan, to integrate the street and site visually and functionally as a total environment, and to relate new development to the existing environment in scale, material and character so that Pasadena's inherent human scale, visual, and functional diversity may be maintained and enhanced. The Master Plan is a 10-year development program for a 4-acre school site, to modernize and expand its facilities. The Master Plan allows Mayfield Junior School to remain and reinvest in the campus, which is consistent with the purpose and intent of the PS and RM-32-HL-36 zoning district.
3. The proposed use is in conformance with the goals, policies, and objectives of the General Plan and the purpose and intent of any applicable specific plan; One of the eight Guiding Principles of the Land Use Element of General Plan places importance on education and opportunities for growth for existing institutions:
Pasadena will be a cultural, scientific, corporate, entertainment and education center for the region. Long-term growth opportunities will be provided for existing institutions; a healthy economy will be fostered to attract new cultural, scientific, corporate, entertainment and educational institutions.
Mayfield Junior School is proposing to continue its operation of a private kindergarden-B th grade school in its existing location; the Master Plan does not include any new uses but includes an expansion of school facilities. The use is in conformance with the goals, policies and objectives of the General Plan in that General Plan Policy 2.9 Institutional Uses calls for the City to "accommodate the development of educational, religious, cultural, and similar facilities that enrich the lives of Pasadena's residents." Additionally, General Plan Goal 17 supports "a strong 3 and diverse educational system that is responsive to the life-long needs of the community and related to maintaining a high quality of life and a strong economy." Consistent with General Plan Policy 17.4, through the Master Plan process, as conditioned, Mayfield Junior School and the City are collaborating to ensure compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.
4. The establishment, maintenance, or operation of the use would not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, or general welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood of the proposed use; The Master Plan and the phased development is consistent with the existing private school land use. All new construction is designed to complement the architecture of the existing campus and is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
Conditions of approval have been included to address operational aspects of the Master Plan to ensure the proposed Master Plan is not detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or general welfare of the City.
5. The use, as described and conditionally approved, would not be detrimental or injurious to property and improvements in the neighborhood or to the general welfare of the City;
Mayfield Junior School has been in operation at the existing campus since 1931, has demonstrating that a school use is a compatible as a use with this neighborhood.
Conditions of approval are be included to further ensure the continual compatibility of the use in the neighborhood, including restrictions on night-lighting, noise, number of students, staff, and minimum off-site parking requirements. As described and conditioned, the use will not be detrimental or injurious to property and improvements in the neighborhood or the general welfare of the City.
6. The design, location, operating characteristics, and size of the proposed use would be compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity in terms of aesthetic values, character, scale, and view protection. 4 The Design Commission conducted an Advisory Review on the project as part of the Master Plan process; further refinement of the material and finishes of the proposed Center for Learning and Teaching and the proposed Middle School Building will be analyzed in Concept and Final Design Review.
The Master Plan allows for the City and members of the public to plan the uses that are anticipated to occur on the Mayfield Junior School campus for the next 10 years, resulting in orderly and thorough review of expansion plans to ensure compatibility with existing and future land uses in the vicinity in terms of aesthetics values, character, scale and view protection.
The Master Plan includes the reconstruction and replacement of school facilities and minor additions to certain buildings which is necessary for the modernization and continuation of the private school. The Master Plan proposes the construction of new facilities, some of which would be marginally visible, or obscured from public street view. Though the new Center for Teaching and Learning (Building "H") would be located at the center of campus, it will respond to its internal surrounding architectural context. The parking garage extension would be below-grade, and not have any visible impact to the residential neighborhood, or the campus itself. The addition to the gymnasium would also be below street-grade, having no visible impact to the neighborhood. Furthermore, the existing building pattern of the campus at the east end, responds most appropriately to the surrounding residential urban context through a continuous street wall of detached buildings with a common front setback. With the exception of the new entry atrium and the new Building "I", the eastern street edge is not proposed to change. The Master Plan indicates that the proposed new buildings along South Euclid Avenue will retain the existing street wall and respond appropriately to the surrounding context. The proposed Master Plan will not have a substantial effect on the surrounding urban context, employs architectural quality and diversity, and is compatibility with the existing campus and surrounding neighborhood.
5 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of City of Pasadena hereby approves the Mayfield Junior Master Plan, as conditioned in Exhibit A, and as set forth in Exhibit B, both exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference.
Adopted at the regular meeting of the City Council on this 6th day of February 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Approved as to form:
Theresa E. Fuentes
Assistant City Attorney
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Mark Jomsky
City Clerk
6 Exhibit A: Mayfield Junior School Conditions of Approval See Attachment B of Agenda Report
Exhibit B: Mayfield Junior School Master Plan Project Plans See Attachment C of Agenda Report