A stalled 3.3-acre mixed-use development on South Arroyo Parkway is seeking two more years to secure building permits. The Pasadena Planning Commission heard the renewal request at its Wednesday, July 8 meeting, though the commission's vote has not been publicly posted.

The Affinity, proposed by The Arroyo Parkway, LLC, would bring two seven-story buildings to 465-577 S. Arroyo Parkway near the California Boulevard and Bellevue Drive intersection: a 154,000-square-foot medical office building with ground-floor retail and a 184,376-square-foot assisted and independent living building with up to 95 senior housing units. The approved plan also allows the developer to swap the medical office space for up to 197 residential apartments under specified conditions.

If granted, the renewal would extend the planned development through Friday, June 30, 2028, without changing the project's scope or design standards.

Why the project stalled

The City Council originally approved The Affinity in late 2022. Under the planned development agreement, building permits were supposed to be issued and construction underway within two years. That never happened.

A one-year extension granted under a City Council ordinance adopted after the January 2025 Eaton Fire kept the approvals from expiring, but no permits have been pulled.

The developer blamed rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and what a city staff report described as changes in "market demand for various uses, including uses approved in the PD Plan." The applicant also said it needs more time to complete the city's design review and building plan check processes.

What the project would look like

Six existing commercial buildings on the site would be demolished. Three structures would remain: the Whole Foods Market at 465 S. Arroyo Parkway with its 275-space underground parking garage, and two historic buildings at 501 and 523 S. Arroyo Parkway slated for restaurant use totaling about 5,882 square feet. The new buildings would rise to roughly 90 and 93 feet, with as many as five subterranean parking levels.

When the project won approval in 2022, neighborhood groups including Livable Pasadena and the Magnolia Avenue Landmark District argued the buildings would change the corridor's character and worsen traffic near the 110 and 210 freeway ramps. Whether opposition resurfaced at the July 8 renewal hearing is not yet known.

Staff recommendation and what's next

Planning staff concluded the renewal satisfies the city's zoning code because it does not modify the approved project or its development standards, according to the staff report prepared for the hearing. The city's 2022 Environmental Impact Report remains valid, staff found, with no substantial changes requiring further environmental review.

Any future changes to the project's design or density would require a separate public hearing before the Planning Commission. Jason Van Patten, senior planner with the city's Planning and Community Development Department, is the case manager for the project.