Pasadena : Judge Rules for Swap Meet
City officials must allow businessman Paul Cho to open a proposed swap meet-style store in Northwest Pasadena, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled.
In his decision Tuesday on a lawsuit brought against the city by Cho, Judge David Yaffee ordered the city to inspect Cho’s store at 625 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and issue a certificate of occupancy.
Yaffee said the Pasadena Community Development Commission abused its discretion by refusing to consider deteriorated conditions at the shopping center when it and, later, the Board of Directors vetoed Cho’s proposal for the Fair Oaks Department Store.
The city said Cho’s store would detract from redevelopment goals for the area and would increase traffic. But Yaffee said that conditions at the shopping center have already deteriorated to such an extent that major stores are reluctant to locate there.
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