Parking Lots Exempted From Pasadena Growth Limits

The Pasadena Board of Directors has resolved one of the legal issues arising from the voter-approved growth management initiative by deciding that growth limits do not apply to parking structures.

The decision means developers can exclude the square footage devoted to enclosed parking when they apply for building allocations under the initiative.

Approved in March

The measure, approved by voters in March, sets a ceiling of 250,000 square feet a year of commercial construction, although it exempts a number of projects, including those that are under 25,000 square feet.

The board this week also decided that projects that were on file with the city before the March election will not be judged against each other for quality but will receive building allocations by meeting a set of standards. If there are more projects than building allocations available, priority will be determined by how far the projects had progressed through the city’s review process before the election.

Under the initiative, the city can approve 250 multifamily units and 250,000 square feet of non-residential construction a year, and also can borrow from the allocations for next year.

In addition to creating this interim process for projects already planned, the city is developing criteria to rate new projects in the future. The city will conduct a public workshop from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on the third flood of the Pasadena Conference Center, 300 E. Green St., to gather suggestions for implementing the initiative.