Single-family homes in parts of Pasadena are quietly on the chopping block, with developers lining up mid-rise apartment projects along transit and commercial corridors. On and around Locust Street, proposals now in the city pipeline range from a four-story, 12-unit building to a roughly 40-unit complex, plus several 12- and 13-unit conversions under review. The common thread: heavy reliance on state density-bonus rules that trade extra height and units for a slice of on-site affordable housing, which developers argue is what makes these infill projects pencil out.
Design Commission Takes Early Looks
The city’s Design Commission has been holding preliminary consultations on several of the projects, offering early feedback without signing off on anything. As reported by The Real Deal, commissioners recently reviewed multiple Locust Street and Marengo Avenue proposals in the same round of hearings, hinting at just how much multifamily interest is clustering in these older single-family districts.
1034 Locust: Two Homes to Become a Dozen Apartments
At 1034 Locust Street, a detailed application calls for demolishing two early 20th century homes and replacing them with a three-to-four-story building that would hold 12 apartments over a single subterranean parking level. Pasadena Now reports the plans include 18 underground parking stalls and the removal of most on-site trees, and that the project is leaning on State Density Bonus concessions by offering one very-low-income unit and one moderate-income unit in exchange for additional density. City staff have asked the applicant to look at upper-story step-backs and similar design tweaks to soften the building’s massing next to mostly one- and two-story neighbors.
Marengo Plan Aims for Townhomes and Flats
A few blocks away at 369 S. Marengo, another proposal would bring a 12-unit project with two distinct buildings: five townhouse-style units along the street and seven stacked flats in a three-story rear structure, all over a subterranean garage with 24 parking stalls. The staff report from the City of Pasadena outlines the site conditions, findings from a historic resource evaluation, and a checklist of design questions for commissioners. That appearance was officially labeled a preliminary consultation, meaning the feedback was advisory and not yet a yes-or-no on permits.
Across the Street, a Much Larger Proposal
Across Locust Street, an entity called TJ Unity has filed a more ambitious plan for 1045-1055 Locust that would clear two single-family homes and replace them with a four-story building of roughly 40 one- to three-bedroom apartments, served by subterranean parking with about 60 spaces. Urbanize LA notes the developer is seeking density-bonus waivers in exchange for six affordable units and has shown renderings that leave room to convert certain amenity areas into additional units under state ADU policies. The application is in early design review and would still need both Concept and Final Design approvals before building permits are in play.
Smaller Conversions Are Popping Up Citywide
Beyond the Locust and Marengo corridors, other applicants are pursuing smaller infill projects that swap single houses or small apartment buildings for low-rise multifamily construction. Reporting and public records indicate at least one applicant is tied to an existing Pasadena-area company, suggesting some of the money behind these teardowns is coming from local investors, not just outside speculators. The pattern is familiar: a series of modestly scaled projects, each using state incentives to push past base zoning limits, collectively adding units at a faster clip across the city.
Why Density Bonuses Are Driving Applications
Pasadena is under pressure to plan for a lot more housing. The city’s 2021-2029 Housing Element documents a Regional Housing Needs Allocation of 9,429 units that must be addressed over that period. Under the State Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code §65915), developers who include affordable units can receive increases in density along with other concessions that can make mid-block multifamily projects financially feasible. Put together, those RHNA targets and the density-bonus carrots go a long way toward explaining why applicants are eyeing single-family lots near transit for apartment buildings.
Design and Neighborhood Questions Remain
As these projects inch through concept review, city staff and commissioners have consistently urged applicants to reduce apparent bulk, introduce more step-backs, and better protect trees and nearby historic resources. Pasadena Now has highlighted staff concerns over the proposed removal of 11 trees at the Locust site, including a protected Canary Island palm, and has raised questions about how taller contemporary facades will sit on predominantly low-rise blocks. Neighbors and preservation advocates are expected to weigh in at public hearings as the applications move toward formal votes, which is where the design-versus-density tension is likely to surface most clearly.
What’s Next for These Projects
For now, most of the proposals are parked in preliminary consultation or concept-design stages. If applicants revise their plans to address staff comments, they will return to the Design Commission for binding Concept and Final Design reviews, followed by the usual building permit applications. Local coverage and city packets suggest additional public meetings are on the way, and any decisions can be appealed to the City Council if broader policy questions, including whether to grant key zoning concessions, become flash points. In the near term, Pasadena’s housing growth seems poised to be shaped as much by state law and RHNA math as by what individual neighborhoods say they can live with on their blocks.
