AR 13 SUPP CORR CORRESPONDENCE — Pasadena City Council, June 2, 2025

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File Number
4798.007
May 29, 2025
Attorneys at Law
www.ohhleeal.com
1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 575
Los Angeles, CA 90067
6200 Stoneridge Mali Road, Suite 225
Pleasanton, CA 94588
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San Diego, CA 92106
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City of Industry, CA 91746
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Pacific Grove, CA 93950
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Orange,CA 92868
SENT VIA U.S. MAIL & EMAIL 3600 Lime Street, Building 2 Office #218 Riverside, CA 92507
Pasadena City Council
100 N. Garfield Ave., Room S249
Pasadena, CA 91101
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Michele Bagneris,
Pasadena City Attorney
100 N. Garfield Ave., Room N-210
Pasadena, CA 91109
mbagneris@,ci.pasadena.ca.us
Re: 315 N. Pasadena Ave. Landmark Application Review/Decision Dear City Council and Ms. Bagneris:

Our firm represents the Pasadena Unified School District ("District") and is writing to inform you as to the proper scope of review concerning Rene H. Gonzalez' ("Applicant") application to landmark the District's former Roosevelt School, which is located at 315 N. Pasadena ("School").

Given the proceedings before the Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission ("HPC"), we fully expect that the Applicant will, in addition to seeking landmarking under Criterion (c)', improperly attempt to advocate landmarking the School under Criterion (a)2, which is not before the City Council. We ask that the City Council not consider arguments or evidence to landmark the School under Criterion (a) because of the following legal requirements and that the City's Director of ' Criterion (c) states, "It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, architectural style, period, or method of construction, or represents the work of a architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose work is of significance to the City or possesses artistic values of significance to the City." (Pasadena Muni. Code, § 27.73.040(D)(2)(c).) 2 Criterion (a) states, "It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of the history of the City." (Id. § 17.72.040(D)(2)(a).)
6/2/2025
Item 13
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Pasadena City Council
Michele Bagneris
May 29, 2025

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Planning and Development's ("Director") prior decision on Criterion (a) is final and non- appealable.

The Applicant filed his first application ("1st Application") for landmark status under Criterion (a) on February 7, 2024. Though there is no limitation on which of the four landmark criteria to submit under, the Applicant did not seek landmarking under any other criteria other than Criterion (a).

On April 1, 2024, the Director issued a Notice of Decision determining that the School does not meet the criteria for landmark designation. The Director explained, "[T]here is not sufficient evidence in the context provided in the report to demonstrate that the construction of the school directly influenced local, state or national policies or legislation that dictated how schools were required to provide such accommodations." (p. 2.) Further, it stated, "[Tjhere is not sufficient evidence in the historic context provided in the report submitted that the school had a direct influence on the development of local, state or national policies on educational programming requirements for students with disabilities that directed future educational program requirements." (Ibid^
An applicant can appeal the Director's determination to the HPC. (Pasadena Muni. Code, §

17.62.050(A)(4).) The Applicant did not file an appeal; however, the HPC did initiate a call for review per the same municipal code section on April 3, 2024. On July 16, 2024, the HPC decided not to call the application for review. Because the Applicant did not file an appeal within 10 days of the HPC's decision, the denial of the 1st Application became final. {Id. § 17.62.050(A)(3).) On October 10, 2024, the Applicant filed his second application ("2nd Application") seeking landmark designation under Criteria (a), (b) , and (c). The Director found that the 2" Application lacked new information under Criterion (a), and therefore, further consideration of Criterion (a) would be improper because resubmittals on the same information are prohibited for a period of 12 months. (Id. § l7.64.090(A); § 17.62.090(B)(3).) The Director correctly declined to re-consider landmarking under Criterion (a).

On November 8, 2024, the Director stated that she would not review the 2nd Application under Criterion (a) for failure to provide new information and determined that the Property also was not eligible under Criterion (c) because it had "undergone significant changes since its construction which have resulted in loss of original character-defining features and loss of its original configuration, and therefore, does not retain integrity of design or setting..." 3 The 2nd Application had Criterion (b) checked, but in the Applicant's supplement packet attached to their 2nd Application, the Applicant admitted that the School did not meet Criterion (b). The Director concurred.

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Pasadena City Council
Michele Bagneris
May 29, 2025

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On November 12,2024, HPC Commissioner Juan de la Cruz initiated a request for a call for review of the decision on the basis of Criteria (a) and (c), despite there being no procedural basis for a call for review on Criterion (a). Staff admonished the HPC that in deciding whether to call for review, it could only do so under Criterion (c). A motion to call for review was made and passed on February 18,2025.

On April 15, 2025, the HPC conducted a call for review of the Director's determination on the 2nd Application. The Applicant and HPC Commissioners still discussed Criterion (a) despite being informed by the City staff not to do so. Ultimately, the HPC recommended with a 5-4 vote that Roosevelt be granted Historic Landmark Status under Criterion (c).

We anticipate that the Applicant will nonetheless argue for landmark designation under Criterion (a) despite failing to appeal the denial of its 1st Application. Consideration of the 1s Application and Criterion (a) is prohibited. The Director's determination on the 1st Application is final. In this instance, the City Council is directed by its municipal code to only "consider the same application, plans, and materials submitted by the applicant...." (Pasadena Muni. Code, § 17.72.070(b)(2)(a), emph. added.)
Here, the Applicant did not provide any new information regarding Criterion (a) in its 2nd Application and reconsideration of Criterion (a) would be improper. We respectfully remind the City Council that it may only consider the 2nd Application under Criterion (c).

We understand that the City Council will review the 2nd Application in what will be akin to a de novo hearing. There is no direction within the Pasadena Municipal Code on how the City Council should consider a landmark application once the Director determines that a property is not eligible for landmarking. Thus, we believe it is essentially de novo, which has the typical meaning that the City Council is not required to give due deference to either the Director's determination or HPC's recommendation. However, de novo review does not extend to reviewing a final decision. (Wieser v. Bd. of Retirement (1984) 152 Cal.App.3d 776, 782 ("The very concept, 'de novo' hearing, means that all matters therein in issue are to be considered 'anew; afresh; over again.'. .." quoting People v. Bourdon (1970) 10 Cal.App.Sd 878, 881, emph. added.) While it is generally understood that City Council may consider the 2nd Application anew and even with additional evidence, de novo review does not encompass reviewing the final decision on the separate 1st Application.

Accordingly, the City Council may not consider any arguments or evidence under Criterion (a) and must only make its determination under Criterion (c).

Further, the City Council should consider the Director's November 8' determination. De novo review does not mean that the lower tribunal's decision must be completely ignored and tossed to the side as if it was a mere "potted plant." (Uriarte v. United States Pipe & Foundry Co. (1996) 51 Cal.App.4th 780, 791.) Further, in many cases, trial courts provide a thorough written opinion MtIT-M—l."^'l'—*""
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Pasadena City Council
Michele Bagneris
May 29, 2025

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that allows the appellate court to clarify issues on appeal. (Kostner v. County of San Joaquin (1996) 51 Cal.App.4th 29, 45.) The same is true here.

The Director and her staff thoroughly reviewed the 2nd Application and analyzed it under the National Register of Historic Places Bulletin #15, "How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation" and came to a well-reasoned, detailed, and thoughtful determination that the School was not eligible for landmark designation under Criterion (c) due to its loss of integrity by substantial and pervasive alterations, as thoroughly described in Preservation Architecture's report.

Accordingly, we respectfully request that the City Council deliberate the 2 Application solely under Criterion (c), and in accordance with staffs determination not designate the School or any of its buildings for landmarking.

Very truly yours,

ORBACH HUFF & HENDERSON LLP
Stan M. Barankiewicz II
ec: Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, Superintendent
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Rachel Orfila <
Friday, May 30, 2025 1:33PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Public Comment - landmark designation for the Roosevelt school site Some people who received this message don't often get email from.iarn why this is important [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear City Council,
My name is Rachel Orfila, and I am a community college instructor and a resident of Pasadena. I am writing to ask you to deny the application for landmark designation for the old Roosevelt school site.

The council should give its full support to PUSD's plan to build housing on the site.

Two years ago, my family began searching for housing in Pasadena. Although we were fortunate to find an apartment, there were very few options that fit our budget and our family's needs. The situation has only gotten worse since then, especially after the recent fires. Many residents were displaced, the apartment vacancy rate in Pasadena is among the lowest in the United States, and more and more people are being pushed out of the city and even the state due to the housing shortage. The city council should treat the housing shortage as the emergency it is and remove obstacles to building housing in Pasadena.

Although I understand the sense of loss those who attended and worked at Roosevelt must feel, designating the school as a landmark will not bring it back as a school. Our priority should be to meet the basic needs of the teachers and other staff who currently work for PUSD. Please reject the application for historic landmark designation.

Thank you,
Rachel Orfila
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
RECEIVED:CE}VED
May 30, 20252025 JUN-2 AM 8: l2fl25HAY^ AH 8: iU
Mayor Victor Gordo and Members of the City Council ^^\- CLERK City of Pasadena
100 N. Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
CITY OF ";.S.nDENAcjTY OF P.^AO^A
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RE: Support for Roosevelt School Landmark Nomination
Dear Mayor Gordo and Council Members:

I am writing to urge you to support the landmark designation for Roosevelt School, as recommended to you by the Historic Preservation Commission. In my opinion, the nomination demonstrates that Roosevelt School clearly meets landmark criteria, and I hope you agree that it deserves your support.

I am writing as an individual, a committed preservationist and concerned long-time resident. (As many of you know, I am now retired from Pasadena Heritage after 47 years working in a professional capacity for historic preservation in Pasadena.) I wanted to express my personal support for the proponents of this nomination which seeks to win recognition of this exceptional place. I further support the position of Pasadena Heritage and its detailed arguments in favor of landmark status for the school.

Although Roosevelt School has seen some change over the years, I believe it clearly retains its original design and many character-defining features. It still conveys its significance as a remarkable, ground-breaking example of a school designed for students with special needs. It is both architecturally and culturally significant and represents PUSD's historic commitment to providing the best possible learning environment for all its students and the District's innovative thinking at a pivotal time in education history.

The architects who designed Roosevelt were specialists in school design, a specific architectural niche. This was their particular expertise, and Roosevelt is among their best work. In addition, Keith Marston, while less well known or prolific than his noted father, architect Sylvanus Marston, was a local and knew Pasadena first hand, giving him a special interest and awareness of the greater community and its history of architectural excellence. I believe that this was one of the most noteworthy projects that the architectural firm designed and was a particularly creative and innovative accomplishment worthy of recognition.

It is very meaningful to me, personally, that this is an historic place that changed lives! The nomination comes from a group of parents whose children greatly benefited from attending this school, designed so beautifully with their needs foremost in mind, and that speaks volumes to me. How many buildings have had such a profound positive impact - on children, on parents, on teachers, and on the community at large? This unique school deserves recognition, and I sincerely hope that you agree. 6/2/2025
Item 13
I am aware that PUSD has plans to build housing for faculty and staff members on this site, but that should not prevent recognizing the history and significance of Roosevelt School. I hope that, in fact, PUSD is very proud of this remarkable accomplishment in the School District's history. Plans for new housing can go forward with a modified design approach. A portion of the campus can be incorporated and adaptively re-used as part of the future project, an appropriate and ecologically sound approach that supports both housing and historic preservation goals and addresses PUSD's needs.

Thank you for considering my comments. I respectfully urge that you recognize Roosevelt School as a Pasadena Landmark!
Sincerely,
Susan N. Mossman
Pasadena resident
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Bert Newton
Friday, May 30, 2025 4:37 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Rivas, Jessica
Item 13 QUASI-JUDICIAL REVIEW FOR DESIGNATION OF THE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL BUILDING AT 315 N. PASADENA AVENUE AS A LANDMARK
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
The old Roosevelt Elementary School site does not meet the criteria for a historic landmark. It does not even come close. The decision by the hlistoric Preservation Commission is bewildering. I listened to the whole discussion, and those who voted in favor clearly stretched the criteria to make it fit. I'm not sure what the motivation was, but they were first trying to base the decision on criterion A, an association with "with an important event, pattern of events, or historic trend marking an important moment in history or making a significant contribution to the development of the nation, state, or community." They had agreed that it did not meet criterion C, "It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, and possesses high artistic value."But when they were told that they could not use criterion A and could only use criterion C, they then pivoted, contradicted themselves, and stretched criterion C, despite testimony from the architect that the building did not even come close to meeting that criterion.

The staff has twice rejected the application because it does not meet the criteria.

I've toured the Roosevelt campus twice in the last year. The second time with city staff who pointed out all the ways that the building has been modified. It is clear that there is little left of the original architecture, and the architect has stated that the modifications are not reversible.

The staff report points out that the school is not listed in either database of historic sites, including the one that contains "Pasadena's most recent citywide survey of buildings constructed in the Mid-twentieth Century (1935-1965)." This application does not appear to have been made in good faith, and the decision bythe HPC does not seem to have been made in good faith. It appears that the applicants and the HPC have ulterior motives for wanting to stop the site from being used for affordable staff housing. One of the hlPC members even stated their opinion that the site should not be used for housing.

We desperately need affordable housing. We are in a housing crisis, and many PUSD staff who lived inAltadenaand northern Pasadena lost their homes. Many other PUSD staff have had to move away over the years due to the high cost of housing. This housing and more are desperately needed. Please don't place another impediment in the way of getting it built.

Thankyou,
Bert Newton
Making Housing and Community hlappen
"Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the Land." Matthew 5:5 EWN Translation 1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Michael Bell
Friday, May 30, 2025 5:27 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Roosevelt Elementary School
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Please allow it to be torn down and develop housing. Don't protect it.

Thank you,
Michael B. Bell
Broker Lie. #01164731
Sotheby's International Realty
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Jenna Cobb
Friday, May 30, 2025 7:20 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
6/2 City Council Mtg Public Comment
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Jenna Cobb, and I live in District 2. I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

Staff and student housing will make the school district stronger and more resilient. We don't have to keep closing schools if we can help families stay in Pasadena, including families of staff who can then send their children to PUSD schools. Both teachers and other PUSD staff can send their children to PUSD schools ONLY IF they are able to live in the district. Sadly, many cannot afford to live here, so they commute from further away and send their children to other schools. Affordable housing for staff could change that. And affordable housing for PUSD student families can help reduce the loss of families moving out of the district due to high housing costs. Additionally, because PUSD owns the land, it can both provide affordable housing and realize revenue from it. This additional income can be used to help fix the remaining school sites which have severe needs for repairs and upgrades.

As the application for Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School to be designated a historic landmark has been rejected twice because it does not meet the criteria for historic preservation, it is clear that the best use for this school site is affordable housing for PUSD staff and students.

Thank you,
Jenna Cobb
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Evelyn Lamai
Friday, May 30, 2025 8:01 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Roosevelt School should be denied landmark status
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Evelyn Stewart and I live in District One. I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

The staff reviewed the application to make Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School a historic Landmark and rejected it twice because it does not meet the criteria for historic preservation. The school buildings have been extensively modified and hardly any original architectural features remain.

Staff Housing will help lowest paid employees as well as teachers. Many PUSD employees cannot afford to live in Pasadena. Many of these employees are vulnerable to or have already been displaced due to rapidly rising housing costs in Pasadena. Some that have been displaced are commuting long distances to get to Pasadena for their Low paying jobs. Building housing that is affordable to these employees on Land the school district owns but is not using is a sound investment.

Staff housing will bring in revenue for the district. Projections show that over time the housing could recoup all the money that was spent on it and more. The money could be used to repair and maintain school buildings that children actually attend.

Please deny the application for landmark status and build homes so PUSD employees can live in the community they serve.

Thank you, Evelyn Stewart
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Joel Short
Friday, May 30, 202510:57 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
please don't make Roosevelt school site a monument - let it be a place of hope for the future
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
I'm a resident of District 4 and a Pasadena resident for more than twenty years. My son attends a PUSD elementary school.

Please deny the application for Landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

The site does not meet the criteria for historic preservation. The application for this status was reviewed twice by city staff - and rejected twice.

The buildings are not listed in The California Historical Resources Inventory Database (CHRID) or the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD).

Very few original architectural features remain. Arguments that the existing buildings possess high artistic value are somewhat laughable. What exactly is being preserved here? As a parent of a PUSD student, I strongly support efforts to provide affordable housing to our city's public school teachers. Pasadena's housing prices are too high for many teachers, and we need teachers to be well-housed and residing locally for the benefit of our community. Why should our teachers commute hours to support Pasadena students?
I believe in historical preservation. I enjoy and promote the study of history and am an advocate for respecting our past and preserving what is beautiful and useful for future generations. But I am firmly opposed to current efforts to use historic preservation as an excuse to forestall a good faith effort to provide housingfor hard-working members of our community who have given their lives in service to this city's future.

Thankyou!
Joel Short
District 4
Pasadena 91107
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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David E.

Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:32 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
PUSD housing
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is David Erickson, I live in district 3, and I am also a former teacher with PUSD. I urge you to deny the application for landmark status forthe old Roosevelt school site.

We are in a in a housing crisis, and many PUSD staff have Lost their homes in the wildfire. Many staff were already having to commute to Pasadena from communities much further away, such as Riverside.

Housing here in Pasadena is desperately needed both for staff who have to commute and staff who have been displaced by the wildfires.

Thankyou,
David KErickson
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Yvonne Savio
Saturday, May 31, 2025 9:09 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Roosevelt School matters!
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Why Roosevelt School matters:

Purposeful Design: Opened in 1 953, Roosevelt was among the first schools in the nation specifically and thoughtfully designed for students with special needs—a groundbreaking approach for its time.

Grassroots Support: The landmark application was initiated by parents of former students, reflecting deep community investment in preserving this meaningful site.

Architectural & Educational Significance: Roosevelt School is a rare example of a site that holds both architectural value and educational importance, representing a unique chapter in Pasadena's history.

Backed by Pasadena hleritage: We strongly support this nomination and believe Roosevelt exemplifies the kind of inclusive, visionary design Pasadena should celebrate and protect.

Preservation Enables Reuse: Landmarking does not prevent Pasadena Unified School District from redeveloping the site. Intact, it allows for adaptive reuse of the historic buildings while still supporting new housing opportunities.

Ciaofornow.

Yvonne Savio
Landline phone
www.GardeninglnLA.net
and message only, no text)
1 6/2/2025
Item 13

RECEIVED
292UUH-2 AH 8: it
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CITY OF ::;:.3AD£NA
Ana Soulriver
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Board Member, Pasadena Heritage
225 S. Lake Ave., Suite M270
Pasadena, CA 91101
June 1, 2025
Mayor Victor Gordo and Members of the Pasadena City Council Pasadena City Hall
100 N. Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Re: Landmark Designation and Adaptive Reuse Opportunity at Roosevelt School
Dear Mayor Gordo and Counciknembers,
As a Pasadena resident, commercial real estate broker, and board member of Pasadena Heritage, I am wridng in strong support of the landmark designation of Roosevelt School. Beyond its historical and architectural significance, Roosevelt represents a timely and critical opportunity to bring Pasadena's new Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (ARO) to life.

Since the ARO was adopted in April, I have consistently advocated for the financial infrastructure needed to make adaptive reuse viable. I wrote to the City Council last fall to express support for the ordinance, but also to emphasize a concern that has since been echoed across the development community: without inceadves, projects simply do not pencil out.

Roosevelt School illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity. The site holds deep significance in Pasadena's civil rights and special education history, and its architectural design—by master architects Eugene Weston Jr. and Keith Marston—is both innovative and meaningful. The campus layout and building forms make it highly adaptable for new uses, including housing. This is exactly the kind of project the ARO was designed to support.
6/2/2025
Item 13
Pasadena is a city defined by its unique character, a legacy shaped by intentional preservation and thoughtful planning. Adaptive reuse allows us to carry that legacy fonvard while addressing the urgent housing and climate challenges we face today.

However, if we want the ARO to succeed—if we want projects like Roosevelt to move forward—we need to pair zoning reform with real financial tools. Grants, tax abatements, revolving funds, or deferred-payment models can make the difference between feasibility and stagnation. Roosevelt offers a rare alignment of goals:
preservation, sustainability, housing, and community revitali2ation. We must not allow this opportunity to slip away.

I urge the City Council to approve the landmark designation of Roosevelt School and to use this moment as a catalyst for the next phase of adaptive reuse implementation—ensuring our policies lead to real, measurable progress for Pasadena.

Sincerely,
(^^
Ana Soulriver
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Board Member, Pasadena Heritage
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Ann Scheid
Sunday, June 1,2025 4:08 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse; Jomsky, Mark
Ann Scheid
Roosevelt Elementary School and the proposed housing project for the site Some people who received this message don't often get email fromiarn why this is important [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear Members of the City Council:

Please consider both issues below: Preservation of Roosevelt School and Proposed Housing for the Site 1) I support of the preservation of the Roosevelt Elementary School Building at 31 5 Pasadena Avenue.

Roosevelt Elementary School is eligible as a City of Pasadena Historic Landmark.

Built in 1953 for the specific purpose of serving children with special needs, provided children afflicted by the polio epidemic of the 1940s-1960s, with a public school education in one of the best school districts in California. Children suffering from other afflictions that affected their educational progress were also served by the school. The school was designed with special blackboards, toilet facilities, ramps, etc., that increased mobility and made education possible. The school was also racially integrated, a rarity for its time.

The architectural design is in the tradition of the Mid-Century Modern movement, with generous windows, Light-filled spaces, and convenient access to the outdoors. Alterations and additions to the original building could be easily reversed to recreate the original airiness of the design.

Parents of children who attended the school have stepped forward to advocate preservation of the school, which has been so important to their families, indicating grass-roots support in the City.

Preservation of the original Roosevelt School Building does not preclude another use for the School District's property, such as housing.

I urge the Council to consider preservation of this important building. 2) Building housing on this site so close to the freeway is of questionable value. Studies of the health of children beginning in 1992 have established clear links between childhood asthma in neighborhoods adjacent to freeways. More recent studies have shown that adult bronchitis is also linked to air pollution associated with living near freeways. This site is within 500 ft of a freeway, the distance used in these studies.

The data beginning in the early 1990s are convincing and no longer in question. 1 6/2/2025
Item 13
Seehttps://keck.usc.edu/news/air-poLlution-exposure-during-chiLdhood-linked-directlv-to-adult- bronchitis-svmptoms-in-new-research/ for more information.

Sincerely,
AnnScheid
Pasadena, CA 91105
2 McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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> Nick & Laurie Kietzman-Greer
Sunday, June 1,2025 4:58 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Please deny application for landmark status for old Roosevelt school site Some people who received this message don't often get email fromLearn why this is important [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Laura Kietzman-Greer, and I'm mom to two elementary age boys at Jackson. I live in that neighborhood, but grew up going to Longfellow, Eliot and Muir. While I left the area for college and graduate school, I moved back 5 yrs ago and was barely able to afford to purchase a house near my family here in Pasadena. As you know, the schools have shrunk considerably in a generation, in part because the area has grown so unaffordable for families.

I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site. We desperately need more affordable housing particularly for families, and to allow teachers to afford to Live here. Especially after the Eaton fire, holding on to properties for housing is especially important. We know one teacher, and are confident there are others, who are also PUSD parents who need this option available. Further, it is such a great financial move that will fund our schools that need long term financial support. Please help facilitate unused schools to be made into affordable housingfor staff and families. It would be a gift to have them in our neighborhood.

Thankyou,
Laura Kietzman-Greer, PT, DPT
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Sandra Fettes
Sunday, June 1,2025 6:46 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Saving Roosevelt School
I
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I am writing in support of saving Roosevelt School. Like so many other landmark properties in Pasadena, Roosevelt School should be preserved as an important part of Pasadena's history. We should embrace the traditions and architecture of our great city so we may continue to enjoy them today and preserve them for future generations.

Thankyou.
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Bert Newton
Sunday, June 1,2025 7:15 PM
Nick & Laurie Kietzman-Greer
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Re: Please deny application for landmark status for old Roosevelt school site [I] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Thankyou, Laurie!!
On Sun, Jun 1, 2025 at 4:59 PM Nick & Laurie Kietzman-Greer _ • wrote:

I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site. We desperately need more affordable housing particularly for families, and to allow teachers to afford to Live here. Especially after the Eaton fire, holding on to properties for housing is especially important. We know one teacher, and are confident there are others, who are also PUSD parents who need this option available. Further, it is such a great financial move that will fund our schools that need long term financial support. Please help facilitate unused schools to be made into I affordable housing for staff and families. It would be a gift to have them in our neighborhood.

I Thankyou,
I Laura Kietzman-Greer, PT, DPT
Rev. Bert Newton
Making Housing and Community Happen
MyPodcast
"Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the land." Matthew 5:5 EWN Translation 1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMilIan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Johnson, Kevin
Monday, June 2, 2025 7:43 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse; Jomsky, Mark
Cisneros, Stephanie; Rocha, Luis; Mikaelian, Jason; Paige, Jennifer FW: Roosevelt Historic landmark Designation Presentation Reference materials SLIDE #1 CALTECH Doctors announcing their success in crystallizing purified poliomyelitis virus.png
Good morning,
See below and attached for a comment from the applicant for 315 N. Pasadena Avenue, item #13 on tonight's City Council agenda.

Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Johnson
Principal Planner
City of Pasadena Planning & Community Development Department Design & Historic Preservation Section
(626) 744-7806
[email protected]
PATADiNA
P1.ANNIM6 A COMMUINn-V BEVlEE.OPMgHT t>E?*RTMENl'
From: PADRES PUSD
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 10:10 PM
To: Cisneros, Stephanie <[email protected]>; Johnson, Kevin <[email protected]> Subject: Roosevelt Historic landmark Designation Presentation Reference materials [ l ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Please add the following reference materials for the Mayor, Vice Mayor and city council consideration.
slide #1:
1 6/2/2025
Item 13

1. Wendell Meredith Stanley and Crystallizing Viruses
Wendell Meredith Stanley, a prominent biochemist, made a significant breakthrough in the 1930s by successfully crystallizing the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). This achievement earned him a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1946.

While Stanley's work focused on TMV, his success in crystallizing a virus was groundbreaking. It paved the way for future research on virus structure and, indirectly, contributed to advancements in polio research.

CALTECH Doctors Successfully Crystallizing Virus
(Original Crystallize polio virus. Pasadena, California. Two university of California scientists, Dr.

Frederick Schaeffer (left) and Dr. Carlton E. Schwerdt, sit in their lab after announcing their success in crystallizing purified poliomyelitis virus. Their discovery marks the first time a human or animal infection has ever been crystallized and will assist greatly in research because of the known purity of the crystal.

The discovery was reported at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences at the California Institute of Technology.

A MUST WATCH Video to understand the Roosevelt story in the 1950's Era and in Pasadena:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/polio/#part01 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/candy-land/ httDS://ww2.citvofDasadena.net/2025%20Agendas/Jun 02 25/Agenda.asp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk21DigWBN8
https://worldbiohaztec.com/Like-patenting-the-sun-americas-fight-against-polio-and-the-power-of-a- vaccine
httDS://www.historv.com/articles/Dotio-fear-Dost-wwii-era https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/iron-lung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Alexander_(polio_survivor)#/media/File:PauLALexander_(polio_surviv https://www.bulbapp.io/p/cec61947-1a58-4ba9-8ba0-0eabf874ecec/paul-richard-alexander-the-man- with-iron-lungs
httDS://www.telegraDh.co.uk/obituaries/2024/03/13/Daul-alexander-DoLio-iron-tung-lawver-ventilator/ https://www.teLegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/13/paul-alexander-dead-iron-lung-man/ 2 https://www.washingtonDost.com/history/2020/04/14/cutter-Dolio-vaccine-Daralvzed-children- coronavirus/
https://theconversation.com/what-fdrs-polio-crusade-teaches-us-about-Dresidential-leadershiD-amid- crisis-137215
Yours truly,
Rene H. Gonzalez
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McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Gloria Newton
Monday, June 2, 2025 8:48 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Item 13: Deny Landmark Status for former Roosevelt Elementary Site [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear Mayor Gordo and City Council Members:

My name is Gloria Newton. I live, work, and volunteer in District 5. I am writing today to request that you deny the application for landmark status at the former Roosevelt School site. This application has twice been denied by city staff who studied the site and noted that it appears in neither the The California Historical Resources Inventory Database (ChtRID) nor the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), two state databases of historical buildings and sites. Staff also determined that the architectural features that would have been examples of Mid-Century Modern design have previously been modified to an irreversible extent. It seems like any application for landmark status should have been made before these modifications were executed.

The application for landmark status is not made from an actual interest in preserving an historical or architecturally significant site. It is made in opposition to the use of the land for much needed affordable housing for Pasadena Unified School District staff. The motivation comes in part from people grieving the loss of a school that was important to them, and this is always painful. But giving the site landmark status is not going to assure the school will reopen in the future, nor will it protect the school district from using it for their affordable housing plan. It would simply make any process for productive re-use of the site much more costly and slow, which would be tragic for the many PUSD staff and teachers who endure long commutes or live on the edge of poverty but still are dedicated to serving our students.

Let's honor the history of Roosevelt School as being a place of sen/ice to Pasadena students by allow the district to use it for affordable housing. I can think of no better legacy than this.

Please deny the application for landmark status for the former Roosevelt Elementary School site.

Sincerely,
Gloria Newton
Pasadena, CA 91106
A*******************
"Start where you are.

Use what you have.

Do what you can."
--Arthur Ashe
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Steph Lane Pavon
Monday, June 2, 2025 9:53 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Public comment: Roosevelt housing
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Dear neighbors,
I live with my family at 1230 N Altadena Drive, in Pasadena, and my older son is a second grader at Norma Coombs.

I am writing in support of the affordable housing plan for Roosevelt school and askyouto not approve the historic designation.

Our community is in dire need of affordable places to live. We need to keep the strong pool of educators our children and families rely upon, including mine, many of whom were affected by the Eaton fire (my child's teacher lost her home). We need places for those of us who do not make the wages to afford the average house price or rent cost in Pasadena. Our teacher told us that the rent her family is currently paying at a new place in Pasadena is too expensive for her family and they will not be able to stay there long term.

I appreciate the desire to hold on to our shared history, h-towever we must balance that desire with the needs to support our community members in order to tell our story in the present and the future.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Pavon
Pasadena, CA
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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laurie oberholtzer
Monday, June 2, 2025 10:1 1 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
[email protected]
Roosevelt School
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Dear Council Members:

Please designate Roosevelt School a historic landmark to ensure its preservation.

What a wonderful legacy it created. I am so proud of Pasadena for being a first in special ed. The school made a big difference in so many lives.

My mother, Joan Oberholtzer, was a teaching assistant at Roosevelt in the 1960s and early 1970s so I often visited this wonderful school. Many of our dinner table conversations were about the school and what the kids were all doing. It was a vibrant, happening place.

Laurie Oberholtzer
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
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ABUNDANT HOUSING

PASADENA
Pasadena City Council
Pasadena City Hall
100 North Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA,90013
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RECEIVED
2025 JUN-2 PMI^ 1C
CiTY CLSRI^
Cin Qune2;202S::NA
Re: Item 13—Support staff recommendation, oppose historic designation for closed school building Dear Mayor Gordo and members of the Pasadena City Council, On behalf of Abundant Housing LA and its local chapter Abundant Housing Pasadena, we write urging you to deny the application for landmark status for the site of the shuttered Roosevelt Elementary School.

The site does not merit landmark status, as spelled out in the staff reports prepared for both the Council and for the Historic Preservation Commission. Pasadena's Planning and Community Development Director already rejected the application for historic designation last year, making this the third time City Staff has come to this same conclusion. The site has been modified extensively—as also stated in the staff report—such that almost none of the original or distinctive architectural features remain. The site is not listed in either of the main databases of historical sites, even the one that encompasses Pasadena's most recent citywide survey of buildings constructed in the mid-twentieth century. Simply put, the project fails to meet any objective criteria for historic preservation. Furthermore, this historic designation request is a brazen attempt to block a badly needed affordable housing project, one that would benefit local school employees and Pasadena schools, as well as the entire community.

Pasadena is a majority-renter city—in which most tenants are rent-burdened, and many school employees drive long distances to jobs that are vitally important to the next generation of our city. Given a crippling shortage made even worse by the Eaton Wildfire, which destroyed more than 9000 homes including 129 here in Pasadena, there is no better time to stand up in support of housing.

Please deny the application for historic designation at the Roosevelt Elementary School site and allow this vitally needed housing project to move forward.

Thank you,
^cot^ Efsi-e^
Scott Epstein
Director Policy and Research
Abundant Housing LA
M'c^ef C^^^va.^.

Michael Canavan
Chapter leader
Abundant Housing Pasadena
6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Gregory Alien •
Monday, June 2, 2025 12:12 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Jones, Justin
Please Vote no - DESIGNATION OF THE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL BUILDING AS A

LANDMARK
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Greg Alien, I live in Districts. I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

The first reason is that the staff already rejected it as a historic landmark, the building has been extensively modified and we don't need to preserve unused school buildings, we need more housing for staff of PUSD.

Thanks
Greg
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMilIan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Stephanie Bower
Monday, June 2, 2025 1:18PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Re: please deny landmark status to Roosevelt school site Some people who received this message don't often get email fromi. Learn why this is important [ l ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear Mayor and City Council:

I am writing to urge you to deny landmark status for the Roosevelt site. My two children are happy alumna of McKinley and Blair-both recently graduated from UC Berkeley. I credit their academic and personal success to their time under the tutelage of Pasadena teachers who are overworked and underpaid. I worry about the longevity of the school district and believe that helping teachers with housing would help to recruit and retain the same high quality teachers responsible for my daughters' success. Honoring the past is important, but not at the cost of our future.

Please help build a better and more sustainable housing base that will keep our district strong.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Bower
Pasadena, CA 91107
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
,i^v^ip^
May 30, 2025
Roosevelt School, Pasadena
Comments re: Padres' Landmark Application

RECEIVED
2018 JUN-2 PH 2s 08
C(T^ CLERK
ClT<r OF PASADENA
The Padres landmark application contains an extensive number of omissions, errors and misinformation, as follows:

Historic photos on the application cover page, on page 2 and on page 50 were not from the 1953 building - those photos were from the bungalow school buildings subsequently demolished.

The front rendering on the cover page and repeated on page 9 were used without understanding the extent to which the design was subsequently altered, including demolition of the original full height and glazed entrance and all architectural louvers, both designs featured in that rendering.

The applicant's claim that "the period of significance is 1953, the year of the reconstruction of Roosevelt Sc/7oa/.'(p51) negates consideration of the 1970s addition.

That freeway construction that profoundly affected the Roosevelt School and its vicinity, obliterating the neighborhood street grid, is not even mentioned. 1972 demolitions of 1953 spaces and elements include:

Front entrance and south end of front canopy.

Open covered walkways and classroom window walls at west side, main wing and north side, south wing.

All continuous architectural louvers from original roof overhangs.

Play yard.

With a new mechanical system, dropped ceilings were added throughout and which ceilings concealed all upper windows.

Relative to which, the applicant's claims include that the 1953 building is:
"With very few alterations, either on the exterior or interior. " (p3,51) "Exhibits few alterations and retains its original overall campus plan." (p9) "Highly intact, with few visible alterations." (p5, 51) Each are profoundly inaccurate statements. The applicants' provide no recognition of the extent to which the campus and building have been altered or of any evident understanding of the extent of demolition that has occurred.

Further, the applicant's claims include that the 1953 building was:
"4 pioneering, custom-designed school." (p2)
Yet, the applicants' reference earlier modern schools:
"Pioneering examples from the 1930s include Richard Neutra's 1934 Corona Avenue Elementary School and 1937 Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High School in Los Angeles." (p48)
"Exceptional in the embodiment of the distinctive characteristics of a historic resource property type. "(p2)
Exceptionality is not established and a textbook example is by definition not exceptional. 1315 Walnut St, Berkeley, CA 94709
510 418 0285 [email protected]
6/2/2025
Item 13
"Designed by renowned architects Eugene Weston, Jr. and Keith Marston." (p3,p6) Neither architect has been previously recognized yet they unilaterally rise to the level of "renown" in this one evaluation. Which leap is further confused in the summary paragraphs about the architects (p46), where neither architect is shown to be historically important but wherein a son of Weston is identified as "renowned for his embrace of Mid-Century Modernism in the postwar period" and Marston was "the son of renowned Pasadena architect Sylvanus B. Marston."
Additional inaccurate statements include:
"The main entrance consists of automated doors, each of which measures 4.5 feet." (p6}.

The extant doors are named as an important design element whereas the original entrance was demolished and replaced in the early 1970s.
"Indoor-outdoor integration," "outdoor walkways," "outdoor play areas," "generous expanses of windows looking out onto landscaping" and "hallways moved outdoors to covered arcades." (p47)
All cited as essential school design characteristics yet those 1953 elements were removed with the 1970s infill addition
"Wide corridors," "entrance and door thresholds set flush with the ground" and "smooth concrete and tile floor surfaces."
Whereas such features are functionally common in school buildings. "Right-sized restrooms." (p32)
Which 1953 restrooms were not "right-sized" by current accessibility standards and all restrooms were gutted in 2002.
"Chalkboards at an accessible height and equipped with hand railings." (p7) There is no evidence supporting that existing chalkboards with railings date to 1953 and they are more likely from the early 1970s, when the 1953 building was substantially altered.

Re: potential historic importance:
"Roosevelt School meets Criterion A for its pioneering and significant contribution to the broad patterns of educational/institutional development in Pasadena." (p5, 51) No "broad patterns" are identified in the application. Moreover, the 1953 building's design was heavily changed by the early 1970s consequent with the incursion of the freeway, its special educational use terminated in 1988 and the overall school thereafter closed, so the 1953 building did not even importantly affect patterns of educational/institutional development on its own site.

Signed:

C.M. ^—
Mark Hulbert
Preservation Architect & Historic Resources Consultant

ROOSEVELT SCHOOL, PASADENA
MHPA - re:PADRES APP - 053025 - P2
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Blair Miller.

Monday, June 2, 2025 2:47 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Agenda Item #13 Roosevelt School - support staff recommendation [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you fcnowthe content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Mayor and City Council Members,
I care about the effort to create affordable housing for PUSD, while at the same time, I also care about preserving Pasadena's historic heritage. I wanted to be able to evaluate this case specifically to see where the balance lies, so I attended the site tour and the Historic Presen/ation meeting.

After this review, I do not agree with the Commission's vote. I believe staffs recommendation was correct. Due to extensive renovation, the school simply does not meet any of the four criteria for preservation.

I do support the conversion of this site to affordable housing for PUSD staff. Our school-age population continues to shrink, and this is an excellent re-use of an otherwise vacant property.

As a city, we should be having conversations about how to encourage property owners to maintain the historic nature of the places that contribute to Pasadena's character. However, in this case, this property does not meet the standards, and I urge the City Council to overturn the Commission's decision.

Thank you,
Blair Miller
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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David Baer <
Monday, June 2, 2025 2:53 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Please Reject Landmark Status For Roosevelt School
Some people who received this message don't often get email fromearn why this is important [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is David Baer and I attend Pasadena Mennonite Church. I urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

As someone who has worked closely with individuals with special needs and their families, I understand that some families would want the building to be conserved and used as a school for special needs students. There is a very vocal group of disability advocates who do not believe "mainstreaming" special needs students is the best option for those students. The Roosevelt School exemplified the best option and they wish to conserve the school and hope to reopen it in the future.

Pasadena Unified School District will not be re-opening the school. If the school building is considered a protected historical building, at best it will be maintained as a museum. At worst, it will remain vacant. In the meantime, employees of PUSD who need housing, will continue to struggle with housing needs.

We could argue that an injustice occurred when the Roosevelt School was closed. But, it's a further injustice that PUSD staff don't have access to affordable housing without commuting long distances. A PUSD staff member could find affordable housing in Lancaster or Palmdale, but have to commute over two hours round-trip(without pay). This is an unjust burden on themselves and their families. Most people choose jobs based on close proximity to where they Live. Very few people want a job that involves a long daily commute.

By building housing on the Roosevelt School site, not only will staff have housing, but there will be increased revenue for PUSD that can go to repair and maintain other school buildings.

Finally, there was an excellent op-ed regarding this issue that was published this morning in Pasadena Now, which I would like to drawyour attention to:
https://pasadenanow.com/main/guest-opinion-michael-canavan-blocking-teacher-housing-wont-help- roosevelt-elementarv-tell-its-storv
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
Thankyou,
David Baer
2 McMilIan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Monday, June 2, 2025 3:38 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse; Gordo, Victor; Hampton, Tyron; Rivas, Jessica; Madison, Steve; Justin Jones; Masuda, Gene; Jason Lyon
Item #13 in support of staff recommendation that Roosevelt school is not eligible for landmark status
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Dear Mayor
I support not granting landmark status to Roosevelt School. I agree with the staff report that the school's significant changes have led to the loss of its original features, making it ineligible for historic preservation. Furthermore, I also feet that we don't need to preserve unused school buildings, we need to preserve our people, our community. People, including PUSD staff, are being displaced due to the cost of housing. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to build affordable housing in this city to preserve the people, to allow people to stay and even move back. We are in a housing crisis, and many PUSD staff have lost their homes in the wildfire. Many staff were already having to commute to Pasadena from communities much further away, such as Riverside, hlousing here in Pasadena is desperately needed both for staff who have to commute and staff who have been displaced by the wildfires. Staff and student housing will make the school district stronger and more resilient. Both teachers and other PUSD staff can send their children to PUSD schools ONLY IF they are able to live in the district. Sadly, many cannot afford to live here, so they commute from further away and send their children to other schools.

Affordable housing for staff could change that. Finally, because PUSD owns the land, it can both provide affordable housing and realize revenue from it. This additional income can be used to help fix the remaining school sites which have severe needs for repairs and upgrades. So Let's not deprive PUSD of an important asset that can benefit our schools and its children.

Anthony Manousos
Co-founder of Making Housing and Community Happen
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
V.W

RECEIVED
2018 JUN-2 PM 3:52
_ CITY CLERK
C1T/OF PASADENA
Ana Soulriver
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Board Member, Pasadena Heritage
225 S. Lake Ave., Suite M270
Pasadena, CA 91101
June 1, 2025
Mayor Victor Gordo and Members of the Pasadena City Council Pasadena City Hall
100 N.Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Re: Landmark Designation and Adaptive Reuse Opportunity at Roosevelt School
Dear Mayor Gordo and Councilmembers,
As a Pasadena resident, commercial real estate broker, and board member of Pasadena Heritage, I am writing in strong support of the landmark designation of Roosevelt School. Beyond its historical and architectural significance, Roosevelt represents a timely and critical opportunity to bring Pasadena's new Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (ARO) to Ufe.

Roosevelt School illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity. The site holds deep significance in Pasadena's civil rights and special education history, and its architectural design—by master architects Eugene Westonjr. and Keith Marston—is both innovative and meaningful. The campus layout and building forms make it highly adaptable for new uses, including housing. This is exactly the kind of project the ARO was designed to support.
6/2/2025
Item 13
©
Pasadena is a city defined by its unique character, a legacy shaped by intendonal preservation and thoughtful planning. Adaptive reuse allows us to carry that legacy forward while addressing the urgent housing and climate challenges we face today.

However, if we want the ARO to succeed—if we want projects like Roosevelt to move forward—we need to pair zoning reform with real financial tools. Grants, tax abatements, revolving funds, or deferred-payment models can make the difference between feasibility and stagnadon. Roosevelt ofFers a rare alignment of goals:
preservation, sustainability, housing, and community revitalization. We must not allow this opportunity to slip away.

Sincerely,
Ana Soulriver
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Board Member, Pasadena Heritage
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Subject:

James Jacobs •
Monday, June 2, 2025 4:02 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
James Jacobs in Support of Workforce Housing Development ISome people who received this message don't often get email from. Learn why this is important [ I ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.

Good evening.

My name is James Jacobs and I am submitting my support and alignment with PUSD's Workforce Housing Plan.

I am a lifelong Pasadena resident, born and raised. Received my education through PUSD. Played Little League for East Pasadena Little League (Teammate and Classmate with Mayor Victor Gordo) along with Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Baseball. Recently, I was a 5 year Asst. Coach Varsity Baseball at Pasadena High School.

I am currently in my 25th year as a Paraprofessionat at San Marino USD and serve as The CSEA chapter President and Assistant Region Representative as well.

The idea of utilizing local property to house dedicated Pasadena USD employees is an excellent action plan that must take place. A short commute to work encourages longevity, a strong connection to the community and happier employees.

Retention of employees AND students is vital. Students who would reside in this development would benefit greatly from safe affordable housing and reduce enrollment decline. School districts across the board struggle with declining enrollment and diminishing ADA.

The idea of preserving Landmark properties in Pasadena is an important concept in retainingthe character and charm of our beloved city. However, there are many cases in which a Landmark has been utilized as a positive and progressive development.

Stuart Pharmaceuticals is an excellent example.

Its architecture has stood since the 1950'sand has been recognized by The American Institute of Architects (AIA). A portion of the property serves as the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Station. In 2011, it was given a second Life and converted into an apartment complex and performing arts center. Its use and purpose has been changed, but its historical fabric has been retained.

Please take into consideration the talking points which I have brought to tight. People have come to Pasadena since the Late 1 800's. In my 50 years as a resident, I've been proud of my city because of its blend of history and intelligent development.

In Solidarity.

James Jacobs
1 6/2/2025
Item 13
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From:

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Subject:

Marek Slipski
Monday, June 2, 2025 4:41 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Public Comment regarding Roosevelt Elementary
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Marek SLipski, I Live in District 3. I urge you to deny the application for Landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site. First, based on the evidence it seems this site does not meet the standards necessary to be considered a landmark and the Historic Preservation Committee and applicants have acted in bad faith to continue their effort to get landmark designation at the expense of our teachers and school staff, who are in need of affordable housing.

Personally, I am embarrassed that this debate has continued for so long given that: 1 ) the community and teachers have already expressed desire for this site to be converted to housing, 2) Pasadena is far behind on the housing it needs to build as perthe housing element, 3) thousands of people have been displaced by the fires earlier this year, some of whom were PUSD staff.

My home was destroyed in the Easton Fire and my rent has increased by 50% moving to Pasadena. I am lucky to have had some money saved to be able to afford that (at least until these savings, which I had hoped to one day buy a house with, have been used up). The fact that teachers and staff - the kinds of hard working people that inspired me and kicked off my career in science, ultimately leading me to seek out my dream job in Pasadena -- cannot afford to live here is a travesty. I find it shameful that we would consider preserving a building that has been remodeled so many times over doing the bare minimum to help PUSD staff live near their jobs.

I believe the Eaton Fire and its aftermath will be the defining issue for City Council now and for years to come. The national media continues to report on the number of families that have had to uproot their lives and move great distances (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/realestate/la-fire-victims- attadena-palisades.html) because of the fires and the lack of housing available in Pasadena and surrounding cities. Would we really prefer this building to losing more of our great school staff? I strongly urge you to deny the application for landmark status of the Roosevelt school site. Consider that housing at this site well help PUSD teachers and staff that have been affected by the fires. Consider that it will 1 6/2/2025
Item 13
help PUSD teachers and staff that have been struggling to afford to live here for years. It is the morally correct thing to do for our teachers and staff and for our neighbors. Please put people first.

Sincerely,
MarekSlipski
2 McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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Holly Might
Monday, June 2, 2025 2:35 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Sullivan, Noreen
Oppose Historical Status for Roosevelt School Site
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Dear Mayor and City Council,
My name is Holly, Hight, I live in district four near the Lamanda Branch Library. My son is in 4th grade at a PUSD school.

I'm writing to urge you to deny the application for landmark status for the old Roosevelt school site.

The hlistoric Preservation Commission inappropriately stretched the criterion by which it made its decision in orderto reach a decision it wanted to reach.

A historic landmark designation can be made under4 criteria:

A- It has an association with an important event, pattern of events, or historic trend marking an important moment in history or making a significant contribution to the development of the nation, state, or community.

B- It has an association with the lives of persons significant in our past.

C- It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, and possesses high artistic value.

D- It has archeological significance.

The commission first tried to make the landmark designation based on criterion A, agreeing that it does not meet criterion C. Staff informed the commission, however, that it could not base its decision on criterion A because the application was "de novo," meaning it was an appeal and was based on criterion C, so the commission could only use criterion C. When the commission heard this, some of the members then changed their mind about criterion C and began making arguments in favor of criterion C which they had formerly agreed does not apply to Roosevelt. So the decision of the commission was not made in good faith.

As you can see, this process has once again forced our city to value historic preservation over providing affordable housing to our hard working community members.

We don't need to preserve unused school buildings, we need to preserve our people, our community, our teachers, our students. People, including PUSD staff, are being displaced due to the 6/2/2025
1 Item 13
cost of housing. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to build affordable housing in this city to preserve the people who teach our children and youth, to allow people to stay and even move back.

Staff and student housing will make the school district stronger and more resilient. We don't have to keep closing schools if we can help families stay in Pasadena, including families of staff who send their children to PUSD schools. We have absolutely loved our experience at PUSD and we do everythingwe can to show our teachers and the staff that we appreciate them. Can you imagine what a sigh of relief it would be for a PUSD teacher to call Pasadena home?
Both teachers and other PUSD staff can send their children to PUSD schools ONLY IF they are able to live in the district. Sadly many cannot afford to live here, so they commute from further away and send their children to other schools. Affordable housing for staff could change that. And affordable housing for PUSD student families can help reduce the loss of families moving out of the district due to high housing costs.

Finally, providing affordable housing at the Roosevelt site will benefit many people in our community.

PUSD owns the land, it can both provide affordable housing and realize revenue from it. This additional income can be used to help fix the remaining school sites which have severe needs for repairs and upgrades.

Staff housing will bring in revenue for the district. None of the other uses of the bond money will produce revenue, but staff housing will. In fact, projections show that over time, the housing could recoup all the money that was spent on it and perhaps more. This money can go to repair and maintain school buildings and other buildings that the district owns.

Thankyou,
Holly Hight
Pasadena, CA 91107
2

Pasadena City CouncilJune 2, 2025

Pasadena City Council
June 2, 2025