OrangeGroveBlvd-E3325_20260616_dl-cnsl.pdf

P L A N N I N G & C O M M U N I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T D E P A R T M E N T

PLANNING DIVISION

June 16, 2026

Eric Martinez c/o: ONYX Architects 2540 E. Colorado Blvd.

Pasadena, CA 91107

Via email: emartinez@onyxarchitects.com

NOTICE OF DECISION

Consolidated Design Review: Infill of Inset Service Bay 3325 East Orange Grove Boulevard (Hastings Library) RS-6 (Residential Single-Family) Case #: DHP2026-00118 Council District 4

Dear Mr. Martinez:

Acting under the provisions of Section 17.61.030 of the Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC), the staff of the Design & Historic Preservation Section has reviewed your Consolidated Design Review application for the infilling of an inset service bay at the south elevation of the Hastings Library located at the above-referenced address. The controlling guidelines for this review are the design related goals and policies of the Land Use Element of the General Plan, and the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.

In its decision, the staff:

1. Finds that the proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental

Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15301, Class 1 of the CEQA guidelines pertaining to existing facilities such as an existing institutional building and there are no features that distinguish this project from others in the exempt class; therefore, there are no unusual circumstances;

2. Finds that, upon implementation of the conditions of approval, the proposed project will comply, with the design related goals and policies of the Land Use Element of the General Plan and the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation; and, therefore, Approves the application for Consolidated Design Review as illustrated in Attachment A, subject to the following conditions which shall be subject to further staff review and approval in advance of obtaining a building permit:

mailto:emartinez@onyxarchitects.com

3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd. (DHP2026-00118)

Conditions:

1. The applicant shall coordinate with DHP staff on providing brick and mortar samples for review to ensure they match the existing in color, size, and texture prior to full construction.

2. To demarcate the original recessed opening for the service bay, an uninterrupted vertical control joint shall be incorporated into the construction at the east edge of the new exterior infill wall. The masonry cladding at the new infill wall shall not be blended into the existing masonry bond patterning for purposes of delineation from new and existing construction.

3. This project will be subject to a final site inspection and sign-off by staff of the Design & Historic Preservation section to ensure that the work plan undertaken, as described above, is as indicated and specified in the decision letter and that all work is performed consistent with the approved plans and the applicable guidelines.

BACKGROUND:

This single-story public library was designed by architect Robert H. Ainsworth, and constructed by Jack K. Turner in 1958. The building incorporates design elements of the Mid-Century Modern and Modern Ranch architectural styles. Character-defining features include a shallow-pitched gable roof with a projecting enclosed wing wall at the front elevation and projecting covered main entrance with flat roof and squared masonry columns featuring a repetitive coursing of corbeled bricks. The building walls of the library are clad in a matching brick in a stacked bond pattern, and the gabled roof is covered in a flat composite tile. An inset service bay is located at the building’s southwest corner. Known alterations include a recently-approved in-kind roof replacement with new composite tile, and two additions to the north elevation and east elevation in the 1960s. A Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) conducted on May 13, 2026 determined that the building meets the criteria for designation as an individual landmark under Criterion A for its association with the Post-World War II expansion and modernization of the City’s Public Library system.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Hastings Library is currently undergoing an interior remodel and minor expansion involving the proposed 167 square-foot office enclosure of the existing inset service bay at the building’s southwest corner. The new enclosing wall will infill the existing wall opening at the service bay along the south elevation with an approximate span of 17 feet in length. The new exterior wall will be clad in a matching red brick in a stacked bond pattern, and feature a new single-swing standard size painted metal door. A 3’-8”W x 1’-6H metal transom window (SF-2) will be located above the new door, and a new 8’-0”W x 5’-6”H fixed metal window (SF-1) with 2-over-2 muntins will be located to the east of the new door. The new fixed window (SF-1) will be installed with a slight recess into the wall plane, and have a simple projecting brick sill to accompany its brick-lined header and jamb. The new door and windows will have a bronze finish to match the existing metal finishes of the building. As part of this proposed enclosure, the existing side-facing single-swing service door will be replaced with a new interior wood door of the same size, and in the same location.

The existing brick-lined planter wall fronting the existing service bay will be protected in place, and an existing concrete pathway will be partially demolished to create a raised concrete landing for the exterior door of the new enclosure. Also proposed is a new mini-split HVAC system to be mounted at the flat roof adjacent to the new enclosed office. The roof-mounted mechanical system will have a 35-inch high solid corrugated aluminum screen that will wrap the east, south, and west sides of the HVAC system. The metal screen will be powder-coated in a bronze finish and protrude above the parapet by a maximum of two feet.

ANALYSIS:

Pursuant to PMC Section 17.61.030.K, approval of Consolidated Design Review shall be based on the following findings:

1. The project's design is consistent with:

a) The purposes of design review; and

b) Any applicable design guidelines adopted by the Council.

Supporting Design Guidelines:

Design Related Goals and Policies of the General Plan

2.7: Civic and Community Services. Provide diverse uses and services supporting

Pasadena’s residents such as facilities for civic governance and administration, public safety, seniors and youth, community gatherings, and comparable services.

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, privacy, automobile and truck access, impacts of noise and lighting, landscape quality, infrastructure, and aesthetics.

7.1: Architectural Quality. Design each building as a high-quality, long term addition to the

City’s urban fabric; exterior design and building material shall exhibit permanence and quality, minimize maintenance concerns, and extend the life of the building.

8.1: Identify and Protect Historic Resources. Identify and protect historic resources that represent significant examples of the City’s history.

Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation

Standard 1: A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces and spatial relationships.

Standard 2: The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided.

Standard 3: Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use.

Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken.

Standard 4: Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved.

Standard 5: Distinctive materials, features, finishes and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.

Standard 9: New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.

Standard 10: New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

As conditioned, the proposed project will comply with the applicable guidelines. The project will infill an existing inset service bay and will have minimal impact on the building’s historic integrity and will not remove any of its character-defining features. The project will not alter the footprint or massing of the building and will rectify the building’s existing condition of having programmatic space for utility service at a prominent street-facing elevation. Furthermore, the infill project is designed to be reversible: The existing inset, side-facing door opening to the service bay will remain in place, and the existing masonry walls of the inset space will remain in place under the proposed new furred-out drywall. Additionally, through condition of approval number 2, an uninterrupted vertical control joint shall be incorporated into the construction at the east edge of the new exterior infill wall, which will minimize disruption to the historic brick fabric if the infill wall is to be removed in the future; the west edge of the infill wall will be demarcated by the far west edge of the new doorway and transom light. The applicant is also proposing that the new infill will have complementary finishes of brick cladding and bronze-finish windows and doors to match the existing finishes on the building for a seamless and non-intrusive addition.

To ensure the brick cladding of the new infill wall matches, condition of approval number 4 shall require the applicant to coordinate with DHP staff on providing brick and mortar samples for review and approval of color, size, and texture, prior to full construction. With these conditions, the new addition will provide a seamless and sensitive infill space that can be reversable in the future, while adding necessary space for the improvement and continued use of the historically-eligible building as a public resource. As such, the proposed project meets the findings necessary for approval.

Effective Date Appeals Call for Review

You are hereby notified that any person affected or aggrieved by the decision of the Director of Planning and Community Development has the right to appeal this decision within ten days. The regular appeal fee is $422.82. If the tenth day falls on a day when City offices are closed, the appeal deadline is extended through the next day when offices are open. The last day to file an appeal is June 26, 2026. This decision becomes effective on June 27, 2026. Prior to such effective date, a member of the City Council or Design Commission may request that it be called for review to the Design Commission. However, if there is a request for a call for review, the appeal period will continue to run. Appeals must cite a reason for objecting to a decision. Please note that appeals and calls for review are conducted as de novo reviews, meaning that the lower decision is set aside and the entire application is reviewed as a new proposal.

This approval expires three years from the effective date. The approval period may be extended by filing a written request with the Planning Director before the expiration of the three-year effective date (along with the fee for renewal of an approval). Any changes in the approved design for the project, whether before construction or during construction, must be submitted to City staff for review and approval. Major or minor changes must be reviewed as part of a separate application for changes to an approved project. Two applications for changes to the project may be filed during a calendar year. Changes may be approved only if there are findings of changed circumstances that justify the revisions.

On or after the effective date, the next step is to modify the design based on the conditions of approval in this decision and obtain permits for the proposed work. Please contact Edwar Sissi, Planner, at (626) 744-6738 or esissi@cityofpasadena.net if there are any questions regarding this decision.

Sincerely, Jason Mikaelian, AICP Acting Director of Planning & Community Development Department

Attachments:

A. Architectural Plans (Abridged; full set of plans available upon request) B. Material Palette C. Photographs cc: Address File; Energov; City Manager; City Clerk; City Council; City Council District 4 Liaison;

Design Commission; Acting Director of Planning & Community Development