Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Objective Design Standards for High Density Residential Development Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment
City Council
November 24, 2025
ATTACHMENT A
FINDINGS FOR ZONING CODE TEXT AMENDMENT
Prior to the approval of a Zoning Code Text Amendment, the following findings must be made:
1. The proposed amendment is in conformance with the goals, policies and objectives of the General Plan, and other adopted goals and policies of the City.
The proposed amendment to the Zoning Code is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan as follows:
Land Use Element
• Goal 4. Elements Contributing to Urban Form. A safe, well-designed, accessible City with a diversity of uses and forms. These diverse forms include distinct, walkable districts, corridors, and transit and neighborhood villages and cohesive, unique single and multi - family residential neighborhoods and open spaces where people of all ages can live, work, shop, and recreate.
o Policy 4.11 (Development that is Compatible ). Require that development demonstrates a contextual relationship with neighboring structures and sites addressing such elements as building scale, massing, orientation, setbacks, buffering, the arrangement of shared and private open spaces, visibility, priv acy, automobile and truck access, impacts of noise and lighting, landscape quality, infrastructure, and aesthetics.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards related to building massing and aesthetics that are intended to ensure that new high -density residential and mixed-use development exhibit a positive contextual relationship between new buildings and existing neighborhoods.
• Goal 5. Pedestrian -Oriented Places. Development that contributes to pedestrian vitality and facilitates bicycle use in the Central District, Transit Villages, Neighborhood Villages, and community corridors.
o Policy 5.1 (Walkable City). Maintain and improve sidewalks and pedestrian paths in Pasadena’s neighborhoods and business districts by incorporating street trees, landscaping, and pedestrian-oriented amenities.
o Policy 5.7 (Pedestrian Connections). Support and enhance the pedestrian experience along public and private pedestrian passages, pathways, courtyards, paseos, alleys, and public walkways with increased connectivity and infrastructure, as well as businesses located along these pedestrian corridors.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards intended to require that large building facades are separated by massing breaks which may be used as pedestrian-accessible passages to provide increased connectivity within the existing urban fabric.
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Objective Design Standards for High Density Residential Development Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment
City Council
November 24, 2025
• Goal 6. Character and Scale of Pasadena. A built environment that evolves while maintaining Pasadena’s unique sense of place, character, and the urban fabric. o Policy 6.1 (Sense of Place and History). Require new development and changes to existing development to be located and designed to respect the defining elements of Pasadena’s character and history such as its grid street pattern, block scale, public realm, courtyards, paseos, alleys, neighborhoods and districts, building masing and heights, significant architecture, and relationship to the mountains and Arroyo Seco.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective standards that require larger building facades to be to be separated by massing breaks that may be used as pedestrian pathways in order to create appropriate block sizes and maintain Pasadena’s grid street pattern, as well as provide increased connectivity within the existing urban fabric. • Goal 7. Architectural Design and Quality. Encourage an architecturally distinguished city with a diversity of building styles. New development will recognize this by supporting a variety of materials, forms, and construction techniques while demonstrating a contextual relationship to its surroundings through traditional physical concepts (orientation, scale, materials) and non-physical concepts (cultural, climactic, economic). o Policy 7.2 (Architectural Diversity & Creativity). Allow for the development of a diversity of building styles. Support innovative and creative design solutions to issues related to context and environmental sustainability. o Policy 7.3 (Compatibility) Require that new and adaptively re -used buildings are designed to respect and complement the defining built form, massing, scale, modulation, and architectural detailing of their contextual setting.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards related to building materials and modulation that supplement existing modulation standards by requiring buildings to provide a distinct base, middle, and top as well as appropriate materials, while allowing for innovative and contemporary architectural styles to be utilized.
• Goal 10. City Sustained and Renewed. Development and infrastructure practices that sustain natural environmental resources for the use of future generations and, at the same time, contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on climate change.
o Policy 10.1 (Environmental Quality and Conservation ). Establish Pasadena as a leader on environmental stewardship efforts, including air quality protection, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy standards, natural resource conservation, and greenhouse gas emission standards in the areas of energy, water, air and land.
o Policy 10.2 (Land Uses Supporting Sustainability). Encourage land uses and improvements that reduce energy and water consumption, waste and noise generation, air quality impacts and support other comparable resource strategies Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Objective Design Standards for High Density Residential Development Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment
City Council
November 24, 2025
for a sustainable Pasadena, including alternative energy generation, electric vehicle parking and charging, recycling, and similar facilities. o Policy 10.12 (Urban Open Spaces). Preserve and develop urban open spaces such as landscaped parklets, paseos, courtyards, and community gardens. Ensure adequate public access to these open spaces.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards requiring the incorporation of shade structures and building elements into new high-density residential and mixed-use development as methods to reduce solar heat gain and lower building energy consumption. It also incentivizes the development of rooftop gardens to reduce solar heat gain and lower energy usage, as well as provide new urban open spaces for building residents and tenants.
• Goal 21. Desirable Neighborhoods. A City composed of neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that are desirable places to live, contribute to the quality of life, and are well maintained.
o Policy 21.4 (New Residential Development). Attract new residential development that is well-conceived, constructed, and maintained in a variety of types, densities, locations, and costs.
o Policy 21.5 (Housing Character and Design). Encourage the renovation of existing housing stock in single - and multi -family neighborhoods. When additions or replacement housing is proposed, these should reflect the unique neighborhood character and qualitie s, including lot sizes, building form, scale, massing, and relationship to street frontages, architectural design and landscaped setbacks. • Goal 23. Multi-Family Neighborhoods. Multi-family residential neighborhoods that provide ownership and rental opportunities, exhibit a high quality of architectural design, and incorporate amenities for their residents.
o Policy 23.1 (Character and Design). Design and modulate buildings to avoid the sense of “blocky” and undifferentiated building mass, incorporate well -defined entries, and use building materials, colors, and architectural details complementing the neighborhood, while allowing flexibility for distinguished design solutions. o Policy 23.2 (Parking Areas and Garages). Minimize the visibility of parking areas and garages.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment provides objective design standards that supplement existing development standards related to building massing, modulation, and architectural design to ensure that new construction is well -conceived and reflects the character and qualities of established neighborhoods. The proposed standards require new high -density residential and mixed -use development to visually break up building massing and utilize building materials and colors appropriately. The proposed standards additionally minimize parking garages by requiring garage entrances and doors to be recessed from adjacent wall planes to de -emphasize the prominence of parking within a development.
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Objective Design Standards for High Density Residential Development Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment
City Council
November 24, 2025
• Goal 28. Places to Live, Work, Shop, and Recreate. A diversity of well-designed corridors and villages containing an integrated mix of commercial uses and/or housing that enable Pasadena’s residents to live close to businesses, services, and employment, re duce automobile use, and actively engage and enhance pedestrian activity. o Policy 28.3 (On-site Amenities). Require that residential/nonresidential mixed-use projects provide on -site amenities that contribute to the living environment of residents such as courtyards, outdoor barbecues, and recreation facilities.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards for new high- density residential and mixed -use projects that incentivize the use of rooftop gardens providing needed green space and recreational areas in urban environments.
Housing Element
• Goal HE-1. Neighborhoods citywide with quality housing, parks and community services, infrastructure, and public services that maintain and enhance neighborhood quality, character, and residents’ health.
o Policy HE-1.3 (Housing Design). Require excellence in design of housing through use of materials and colors, building treatments, landscaping, open space, parking, and environmentally sensitive and sustainable building design.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment includes objective design standards for new high- density residential and mixed-use development related to the use of appropriate building materials and colors, treatments designed to break up building massing such as horizontal banding, the incentivization of rooftop gardens for both needed open space and energy efficiency, and de-emphasizes parking garage entrances by requiring garage doors and entrances to be recessed from adjacent wall planes.
Further, the proposed amendments fulfill implementation objectives from the following programs:
Program 23: Zoning Code Updates
“Amend Title 17 (Zoning Code) of the Pasadena Municipal Code to implement current State laws, including provisions related to objective design standards, specifically to address the approval findings as a constraint. The provisions will limit or modify decision- making criteria, which may include inclu sion of objective design and development standards.”
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment supplements existing objective design and development standards by including additional objective design standards for new high - density residential and mixed -use projects related to building massing, orientation, architectural design, open space, and sustainability. These standards are intended to be applied objectively and ministerially to reduce constraints on the review process.
2. The proposed amendment would not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or general welfare of the City.
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Objective Design Standards for High Density Residential Development Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment
City Council
November 24, 2025
The proposed Zoning Code A mendment specifies new objective design standards that supplement existing development standards, and which are intended to improve building design, ensure that new development is contextually appropriate, and encourage green space when high -density residential or mixed -use development is proposed. Therefore, the proposed Amendment would not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or general welfare of the City.