Pasadena, California, September 8, 2025
News Summary
The Pasadena City Council will consider an amended development and 99‑year lease for Ramona Senior Housing, a proposed five‑story, 100‑unit affordable building at 280 Ramona St. The $83.1 million project would provide 99 units for low‑income seniors and one manager unit. The Council is asked to recognize $5 million in State Local Housing Trust Fund support and account for roughly $19.24 million in city support (including a ground lease value and state construction loans). The project was previously CEQA in‑fill exempt; design approval is complete and the developer is seeking additional financing to close a reported funding gap.
Pasadena council to vote on amended lease and $5M state funding for 100‑unit senior housing
The Pasadena City Council will consider on Monday an amended development and lease agreement that would advance Ramona Senior Housing, a $83.1 million project planned at 280 Ramona St. in the Civic Center. The proposal includes 100 units—99 for low‑income seniors and one for a resident manager—and would recognize $5 million in State Local Housing Trust Fund support in the Housing Department’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget.
Key vote items and project basics
City staff describe the Council action as administrative. If approved, the developer, National Community Renaissance of California, would lease the city‑owned parcel for 99 years for $1 per year and operate under a regulatory agreement that secures affordability for the same term. The five‑story building was previously approved by the city’s Design Commission in 2024 and is planned to include a community room, courtyard and on‑site management offices.
The project would include no on‑site parking. Instead, plans call for a covered loading zone and a dedicated paratransit pickup area along Ramona Street. Some units will be reserved for seniors who are experiencing homelessness. The development was previously found exempt under the CEQA in‑fill exemption, and officials say the current budget and lease amendments are administrative actions not subject to CEQA review.
Funding picture and shortfall
The Council packet shows city support totaling roughly $19.24 million, made up of a $14.49 million ground lease value plus the $4.75 million in state construction loan funds. The State Local Housing Trust Fund allocation also includes $250,000 for administrative support. Additional identified sources include $2.76 million in federal HOME program allocations and $8.19 million in loans from Los Angeles County’s No Place Like Home program. The county program would also provide rental vouchers for 48 units.
The developer has applied for state Multifamily Finance funds, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and support from the Federal Home Loan Bank. Even with those sources, the developer estimates a funding gap of nearly $50.7 million that must be closed to move the project forward.
Other council agenda items that may affect services and streets
The agenda includes multiple budget and capital spending items. Staff seek to amend the FY2026 Capital Improvement Program and operating budgets with roughly $13.39 million in net increases across departments and projects. That package would add funds for street resurfacing, sewer relining, police technology upgrades, playground and bridge repair grants, and stormwater outreach programs.
One large public works contract on the agenda would use fiber‑reinforced rubberized asphalt to resurface the full length of Fair Oaks Avenue from Washington Boulevard to the north city limit. The low bidder, Toro Enterprises, proposed a base bid of about $1.66 million with a contingency that brings the contract to $1,722,830. The work also covers resurfacing on Madison Avenue and aims to raise the street’s Pavement Condition Index from 57 to 100. Construction is planned to begin in October and finish in December.
Homelessness, Measure A funds and contracting
Pasadena is set to receive $1.32 million for FY2026 from a countywide Measure A tax for affordable housing and homelessness solutions. Proposed contract amendments would support rapid rehousing for up to 15 households, housing navigation for up to 25 individuals, and thousands of motel nights of emergency shelter through local service providers. The actions would authorize the city manager to extend contracts up to five years and add future Measure A allocations while exempting some amendments from competitive bidding.
Traffic, bike rules and local energy policy
Transportation staff propose lowering the minimum daily traffic threshold to qualify for speed humps from 1,000 to 500 vehicle trips, and changing the neighborhood ballot rule to require a two‑thirds majority of returned ballots plus a 50 percent minimum response rate. The changes would also allow Greenway bicycle routes to be considered for humps.
City code updates would also revise the bicycle chapter to align with state law, add e‑bikes to the definition of bicycle, remove local registration rules the state preempts, and set sidewalk speed limits that require yielding to pedestrians with a maximum of 10 mph (falling to 5 mph when pedestrians are present).
Pasadena Water and Power is advancing a policy to allow rooftop solar systems sized up to 150 percent of a customer’s past maximum annual use, and larger systems up to one megawatt if paired with energy storage and the grid can handle it. The move is pitched as a modernization of limits to support electrification and more local clean power.
Contracts and smaller administrative items
The Finance Department seeks approval to continue a long‑running contract for specialized paper and envelopes used for in‑house printing. The city has purchased more than $200,000 in such supplies from the vendor since 2015; costs are covered in the adopted operating budget and future years will include similar line items.
Context and related projects
The agenda also notes other housing projects and recent completed developments that provide background on local approaches to senior and supportive housing. Design reviews for additional senior assisted living projects are under way in other parts of the city, and a recently finished 70‑unit supportive housing community was cited as an example of project models that combine affordable housing with on‑site services.
FAQ
What is the City Council voting on?
The Council will vote on amended business terms for a lease and development agreement for Ramona Senior Housing at 280 Ramona St., and on budget amendments that recognize $5 million in state housing trust funds for the project. Other budget, street, transit, housing, utility and code updates are on the same agenda.
How many housing units are planned and who will they serve?
The proposal calls for 100 units: 99 units for low‑income seniors and one unit for a resident manager. Some units will be reserved for seniors who are currently unhoused.
Where will project funding come from?
Identified sources include the city’s ground lease value, the State Local Housing Trust Fund, federal HOME funds, Los Angeles County loans and vouchers, and applications for tax credits and state multifamily finance. A large funding gap remains to be closed by the developer.
Will there be parking at the site?
No on‑site parking is proposed. The building plan includes a covered loading zone and a dedicated paratransit pickup area on Ramona Street.
When would construction start?
A construction schedule was not finalized in the budget amendments. The project previously cleared design review and will proceed as funding and permits are secured.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project name | Ramona Senior Housing |
| Location | 280 Ramona St., Pasadena Civic Center |
| Scale | 100 units (99 low‑income seniors + 1 manager) |
| Project cost | $83.1 million |
| City support | $19.24 million (ground lease value + state funds) |
| State funding recognized | $5 million (construction loans + admin support) |
| Lease term | 99 years for $1 per year with affordability rules for 99 years |
| Parking | No on‑site parking; covered loading zone and paratransit pickup area |
| Funding gap | Nearly $50.7 million |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Pasadena Now — City Council to consider $83.1M senior housing project
- Wikipedia: Ramona Senior Housing
- Pasadena Now — Design Commission to discuss senior living project on Walnut Street
- Google Search: Pasadena Design Commission Walnut Street senior living
- Housing Finance — Heritage Square South delivers hope and housing for formerly homeless seniors in Pasadena
- Google Scholar: supportive housing formerly homeless seniors Pasadena
- Los Angeles Times — Pasadena retirement home “A Familiar Touch” (Villa Gardens)
- Encyclopedia Britannica: retirement home
- USA Today — LA fires assisted living (Pasadena Eaton fire)
- Google News: Pasadena Eaton fire assisted living
