'A huge step back'

A handful of Pasadena residents is fighting to prevent construction of a 5,000-square foot, four-unit retail strip mall in a vacant lot at the southwest corner of North Lake Avenue and Elizabeth Street, an area that has suddenly piqued the interest of several major businesses, including Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, FedEx Kinko’s, Game Stop, T-Mobile and Lens Crafters.

Citing a recent traffic study which concluded the strip mall would result in 220 more car trips a day on already congested North Lake Avenue, members of the Dundee Neighborhood Association have collected 150 signatures in hopes of stopping the project.

Original plans called for an entrance to the development on Lake Avenue and an exit on Elizabeth Street. However, no study was made of the traffic impacts on Elizabeth Street, according to local resident Karen Freeman.

“We don’t want the traffic aesthetic,” said Freeman whose family lives close by. “It is not keeping the integrity of the neighborhood. Pasadena has about 80,000 homes and they are going to put a mini-mall. It’s just going to be blight. We fought to get speed bumps on Elizabeth and we finally got them. Now they want to undo that with more traffic.”

Representatives from the Charles Co., which is developing the project, referred calls to land owner Armand Gabay. Gabay did not return numerous phone calls seeking comment for this story. 

The two sides will meet again after the developer submits a revised driveway plan that would not allow traffic to enter the location from Elizabeth Street, according to John Steinmeyer of the Pasadena Planning Department. 

Residents fear the revised plans will allow for entrances and exits on both North Lake Avenue and Elizabeth Street. 

The project was originally presented as office space, which pleased the neighbors. AT&T and several realtors have commercial space in the area. 

But in June last year, Gabay applied for a conditional use permit, which must be obtained to operate a retail facility in the area, and entered into talks with big-name companies such as Starbucks and It’s a Grind Coffee, both of which have backed out due to inadequate parking. The developer must provide three parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. However, 17 other retail companies have expressed interest in locating at the site.

“When our kids start looking for work, we could send them to the end of the block,” Freeman said,“ and they can get some real experience in an office. Let’s face it, saying ‘Do you want fries with that?’ is not offering any real experience to anyone.”

The lot was a gas station in 1990s, but it has been vacant for the past decade.

Residents have had several meetings  with  representatives from the city, but so far they have been disappointed. Many claim that Councilwoman Jacque Robinson doesn’t care about their problems because she doesn’t live in their neighborhood.  

“A lot of people think she does not care about our side of the district and this proves it,” said one city employee who lives in the area but requested her name not be printed. “She is supporting one constituent [the land owner] over 150 people.”

Robinson told the Weekly that she had not made up her mind and was hoping a compromise could be reached on the development: “I sat down with their president [of the Dundee  Neighborhood  Association]  and  heard  their  concerns. They  said  they  were  willing  to compromise  with  the  developer. They want  a  low-density project there. The hearing officer has sent it back for a compromise. Because of the complaints, I am actually leaning toward opposing the project,” Robinson said. My concern is that lot has been vacant for 10 years. Not a lot of developers want to develop in Northwest Pasadena. The  lot  is  blighted.  I think  most  people  would  want something  there  other  than  a vacant lot.”

Lake Avenue is a major north-south thoroughfare connecting the Altadena suburb to Midtown Pasadena.  Just  north  of  the  proposed  development there are two schools, which could be impacted by the additional traffic.  

“This is a lovely area we have been working hard to revitalize,” said Christian Brace, who lives close by. “This would increase traffic, litter and noise. This neighborhood is not conducive with a retail space. It’s a little Mayberry here. I walk with my 3-year-old every day. This will be a huge step back for this community.”