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National CORE and Onyx Architects are continuing to work with the City and community to design and construct a high-quality, high-performance affordable housing development for seniors that complements the grandeur and significance of this historic neighborhood.
Over the next year, the building design will be reviewed and refined by the City to guide the development of the community by following current zoning codes, facilitating development, executing community plans, and preserving architectural and historic landmarks. The input and guidance received from the Pasadena community will ensure that National CORE will build a socially impactful affordable housing community while preserving the historic, architectural, and cultural resources of the Civic Center.
The Pasadena Civic Center was originally laid out in the Bennett Plan of 1925. The center of the Civic Center District is Pasadena City Hall, the distinctive Beaux-Arts Mediterranean Revival building that opened in 1927. North of City Hall is the Myron Hunt designed Pasadena Central Library which also opened in 1927, and south of City Hall is the Pasadena Civic Auditorium that opened in 1931. Other buildings in the Civic Center include the YWCA (1923) (designed by Julia Morgan) and the YMCA (1910 with alterations 1925).
The Pasadena Civic Center District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A Civic Center Master Plan was adopted by the City of Pasadena in 1999. More recently the city commissioned the Olin Study to review and add details to the Civic Center plans.
National CORE’s proposed affordable housing community honors the Bennett Plan and the Olin Study principles, paying homage to the City, community, and this historic neighborhood. The new Ramona Senior Affordable Housing Community will enhance the connectivity, public amenities, beauty, and general usability of this great civic space. As part of that commitment, National CORE has designed the major building entrance facing City Hall to be at a 45-degree angle, one of the requirements of the Bennett Plan.
The new Pasadena Civic Center – Ramona Property will be all-electric and will have a high-performance heat pump boiler system. The building also will deploy high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that are 20 to 35 percent more energy-efficient than what is required by the California Energy Code.
The development will have high-efficiency, all-LED lighting throughout, with smart controls to conserve energy. It will include EV charging stations with a built-in infrastructure to accommodate future modifications.
This stunning and sustainable community meets all LEED for Homes standards and is anticipated to receive LEED Gold Certification.
