Ex-Mayor Gets Wing Clipped in S. Pasadena
The city’s former mayor is finding out just how tough it is to fight City Hall.
Lee Prentiss, who served as mayor for one year of his 1984-88 term on the City Council, is seeking permission to add a three-story, 1,750-square-foot wing to his Craftsman-style home.
He contends he has met every rule and regulation. But local preservationists say that his house, in the stately Oaklawn District, has significant historical value and that his planned expansion would destroy the character of the pre-World War I structure, designed by architect George Lawrence Stimson.
Prentiss had received a building permit in April, but city officials revoked it in September after an attorney hired by the city informed officials that they were failing to meet the tougher building guidelines for homes with possible historic value.
After listening to nearly 90 minutes of public testimony Wednesday, the City Council delayed a ruling on whether the project meets state environmental guidelines, but suggested that Prentiss probably will have to redesign his proposed expansion before it will receive council approval.
“This city is historic, and we have to defer to that,” said Mayor Evelyn Fierro.
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