ArtCenter College of Design Master Plan

Community Planning Projects, Environmental Notices, Master Plans Projects, Zoning Code and Map Amendment Projects
PROJECT ADDRESS
South Campus: 870, 888, 950, and 988 South Raymond Avenue and 1111 South Arroyo Parkway
Hillside Campus: 1700 Lida Street

PROJECT UPDATES
Update (July 23, 2018)

The City Council held a Public Hearing on the ArtCenter College of Design Master Plan and related entitlements, as listed below.  At the conclusion of the Hearing, the Council voted to approve the Master Plan and all entitlements.  Next steps will include the preparation of construction drawings, and where applicable, materials for Design Review to be considered by the Design Commission.

Update (July 3, 2018)

The City Council Public Hearing on the proposed ArtCenter College of Design Master Plan has been scheduled for:

  • Date:  Monday, July 16, 2018
  • Time: 7:00 p.m.
  • Place: City Hall, Council Chamber, Room S249,
    • 100 N. Garfield Avenue

Listed below are the approvals the City Council will consider:

  1. Certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report and adoption of a Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Program;
  2. Master Plan;
  3. Zoning Map Amendment to change the zoning designation of the properties located at 870 and 888 S. Raymond Ave. from Industrial (IG-SP-2-HL-56) and 1111. S. Arroyo Pkwy. from Central District (CD-6) to Public, Semi-Public (PS);
  4. Private Tree Removal Permit for the removal of one protected tree on the Hillside Campus;
  5. Resolution to allow the construction activities outside the hours specified in Section 9.36.070.B. (Noise Ordinance) of Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC) for construction above and below the Metro Gold Line;
  6. Development Agreement; and
  7. Zoning Code Amendment to PMC Section 17.48.060 to allow an application for a digital gallery.

If you wish to submit any correspondence to the City Council for its consideration, please send any such correspondence to the City Clerk at cityclerk@cityofpasadena.net or 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S228, Pasadena, CA 91101-1704.  Please identify your correspondence as relating to the ArtCenter Master Plan.

The Agenda Report and all related documents will be available for review no later than Friday, July 13 at: http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/councilagendas/council_agenda.asp.

Update (April 25, 2018)

The Final EIR for the ArtCenter Master Plan was released today. Please scroll down to 'Documents Available for Review' to download the document.  The Planning Commission will consider the Final, the Master Plan, and related entitlements on Wednesday, May 9.  The agenda and staff report will be available no later than Friday, May 4, and may be accessed on the Planning Commission's webpage.  The Planning Commission will be asked to make a recommendation to the City Council.  The City Council public hearing on the ArtCenter Master Plan has not yet been scheduled.

If you wish to submit any correspondence to the Planning Commission for its consideration, please send any emails to the Commission’s Recording Secretary, Jessica Sweeney, at: jsweeney@cityofpasadena.net or 175 N. Garfield Ave., 2nd Floor, Pasadena CA 91109.

Update (January 11, 2018)

ArtCenter is hosting two general information sessions for the community where ArtCenter staff will review the proposed Master Plan and address general concerns.  The meetings will be held:

  • Wednesday, January 17, 2018
    • Hillside Campus, Faculty Dining Room
    • 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
  • Monday, January 22, 2018
    • South Campus, Suite 200
    • 1111 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, CA 91105

The community is invited to attend either meeting.  ArtCenter requests that attendees RSVP by Friday, January 12 at: engage.artcenter.edu/accd-master-plan.  If you have questions, please contact Jered Gold at (626) 396-2251 or jered.gold@artcenter.edu.

Please note, these meetings are being held and facilitated by ArtCenter, not the Planning & Community Development Department. The meetings do not replace any of the upcoming hearings on the Master Plan, its related entitlements, and the environmental analysis of the project.

Update (December 19, 2017)

The comment period to receive comments on the Draft EIR concluded on December 18, 2017.  City staff and the environmental consultant are now working on responses to all comments received, to be included in the Final EIR for the Master Plan project.  Staff expects to present the Final EIR, along with the proposed Master Plan and related entitlements, to the Planning Commission and City Council for their consideration in Spring 2018.

Update (December 11, 2017)

The comment period to receive comments on the Draft EIR has been extended one week, from Monday, December 11, 2017 to Monday, December 18, 2017.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The ArtCenter College of Design (ArtCenter) proposes a 15-year Master Plan (the Project) that focuses growth on its South Campus, while providing for infrastructure improvements and building renovations on its Hillside Campus. The Project would be implemented in two phases, with Phase I occurring in the first five years of the Master Plan and Phase II occurring in the final ten years. It is anticipated that upon completion of the Project, total enrollment within ArtCenter would increase from its current enrollment of approximately 2,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students to a maximum of 2,500 FTE students and increase faculty/staff from 753 faculty/staff members to approximately 994 faculty/staff members between the two campuses.

At the South Campus, the Project would include renovations to existing buildings, demolition of existing buildings and surface parking, construction of new buildings for student housing, construction of outdoor “quad” areas, and construction of a campus cycleway and mobility hub. Phase I work on the South Campus would occur at 950 S. Raymond Avenue, 988 S. Raymond Avenue, and 1111 S. Arroyo Parkway. The existing building at 950 S. Raymond Avenue would be renovated with a new mezzanine level, while the surface parking on 988 S. Raymond Avenue would be demolished in order to accommodate an eight-story building that would include student housing and other campus uses. A mobility hub, which would include a shuttle pick-up/drop-off area, bike parking, and a car sharing fleet, would be constructed. In addition, a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility may potentially be installed within the mobility hub. The existing building on 1111 S. Arroyo Parkway would be renovated, including the installation of one digital gallery on its eastern-facing façade; an eight-story building with student housing and other campus uses would replace existing surface parking. Phase I also includes construction of a large main “quad” area bridging over the Metro Gold Line and a subterranean tunnel under the Gold Line to connect the subterranean parking areas.

Phase II work on the South Campus would take place on 870 and 888 S. Raymond Avenue. The existing surface parking and building at 888 South Raymond Avenue, as well as the surface parking at 870 S. Raymond Avenue, would be demolished and replaced with four eight-story buildings that would include student housing and other campus uses, constructed over a common podium, which would include a “quad” area and subterranean parking.

Both Phases I and II include construction of portions of a cycleway throughout the South Campus. The proposed cycleway would serve as a campus circulation spine for pedestrians, cyclists, electric carts, and others, and would link all school buildings along S. Raymond Avenue.

On the South Campus, the properties located west of the Metro Gold Line are located within the South Fair Oaks Specific Plan. 950 and 988 S. Raymond Avenue are zoned PS (Public, Semi-Public) and 870 and 888 S. Raymond Avenue are zoned IG-SP-2-HL-56 (Industrial General, South Fair Oaks Specific Plan, Height Limit - 56 feet). A Zoning Map Amendment is proposed to change the zoning of 870 and 888 S. Raymond Avenue from IG-SP-2-HL-56 (Industry General, South Fair Oaks Specific Plan, Height Limit 56 feet) to PS (Public and Semi-Public). The property located east of the Metro Gold Line at 1111. S. Arroyo Parkway is located within the Central District Specific Plan and zoned CD-6 (Central District Specific Plan, Arroyo Corridor/Fair Oaks). A Zoning Map Amendment is proposed to change the zoning from CD-6 to PS.

Improvements within the Hillside Campus would include renovations, reconstruction, and additions to existing buildings, additional parking, installation of a CNG fueling facility and photovoltaic (PV) solar cell canopies within the parking lots, and modifications to campus access. The Hillside Campus is currently designated Institutional under the City’s General Plan and is mostly zoned PS (Public, Semi-Public) with an undeveloped portion zoned RS-2-HD (Single-Family Residential, 0-2 lots per acre, Hillside Overlay District); no development is proposed on the undeveloped portions of the Hillside Campus.


DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW
Final Environmental Impact Report (April 2018)
Final Environmental Impact Report: Main Sections
Final Environmental Impact Report: Appendices
Final Environmental Impact Report: References
Draft Environmental Impact Report (October 2017)
Draft Environmental Impact Report (Entire Document, No Appendices)
Draft Environmental Impact Report (Individual Chapters)
Draft Environmental Impact Report: Appendices
Other

MEETINGS AND HEARINGS

November 8, 2017 - Planning Commission. Comments on Draft Environmental Impact Report
Notice of Availability and Notice of Special Public Hearing


CONTACT INFORMATION
CASE MANAGER: David Sinclair
EMAIL: dsinclair@cityofpasasdena.net