380 S. Rosemead Blvd
A seven-story, 169-unit apartment building approved without a public hearing — entitled ministerially by Los Angeles County in 2022 at 193 units, upheld on appeal, and redesigned downward in 2026 under the same permit.
Units
169
Height
7 stories
Affordable units
13 extremely low-income (≤30% AMI)
Zoning
MXD (Mixed Use Development)
Details
- Address
- 380 South Rosemead Boulevard, unincorporated East Pasadena, CA 91107
- Case number
- RPPL 2021011924
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated East Pasadena (LA County Regional Planning)
- Site area
- ~1.09 acres
- Original entitlement
- 193 units + 7,828 sq ft commercial (May 2022)
- Current program
- 169 apartments (studio / 1-bed / 2-bed) + ground-floor live/work
- Parking
- 215 basement spaces (revised scheme)
- APNs
- 5378-018-020 & 5378-018-021
- CEQA
- Ministerial exemption; NOE SCH 2022050399 / 2022120297
Approved without a hearing
In May 2022 the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning approved 193 apartments at 380 South Rosemead Boulevard without a public hearing. The site sits in unincorporated East Pasadena — county jurisdiction, not the City of Pasadena — and the project was processed as an Administrative Housing Permit, a ministerial pathway where the decision is made by staff against fixed standards rather than by a commission exercising judgement.
Ministerial approval is the mechanism worth understanding here. Because the decision involves no discretion, it is exempt from CEQA review, which is why the file carries a Notice of Exemption rather than an environmental study. It is also what made the later redesign straightforward.
Appealed, and upheld
The approval was appealed by Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility. In December 2022 the Board of Supervisors rejected the appeal and let the permit stand.
Smaller, four years on
In May 2026 a revised design appeared: 169 units instead of 193, a new architect, and a ground floor leaning toward live/work space. The building keeps its seven stories, its 215 basement parking spaces, and its 13 extremely low-income units. Because the original approval was ministerial, a reduction of this size did not obviously require going back for a new entitlement.
What changed between the two schemes
- Units: 193 → 169
- Architect: Ferrier Architecture Studio → Urban Architecture Lab
- Ground floor: 7,828 sq ft commercial → live/work oriented
- Unchanged: seven stories, 215 parking spaces, 13 extremely low-income units
What is still unconfirmed
Whether any formal County modification was filed for the 169-unit revision, or whether it proceeds solely under the 2022 permit, is not established in the documents reviewed. Building-permit status as of August 2026 is likewise unconfirmed; construction has been targeted for late 2026. The 2026 redesign is documented in trade coverage rather than a county filing, and is reported here on that basis.
Timeline
- Approved
Director approves Administrative Housing Permit for 193 units
LA County Regional Planning issued a ministerial Administrative Housing Permit (RPPL 2021011924) for 193 residential units — 13 of them extremely low-income — plus 7,828 sq ft of ground-floor commercial, with density-bonus incentives and waivers.
Source - Approved
Notice of Exemption filed
NOE posted for the ministerial approval (SCH 2022050399, later cross-referenced under 2022120297), exempt under PRC §21080(b)(1) and CEQA Guidelines §15268.
Source - Approved
Board of Supervisors upholds approval against SAFER appeal
The Board rejected an appeal by Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility and upheld the Director's permit. Sources give December 2022 only; the exact hearing date is not confirmed, so the first of the month is used here.
Source - Approved
Revised 169-unit design released
A revised program cut the unit count from 193 to 169 while keeping the seven-story height, 215 basement parking spaces, and 13 extremely low-income units, with the ground floor shifted toward live/work. No new discretionary entitlement was indicated; the revision appears to proceed under the 2022 ministerial approval.
Source
Team
Source (ceqa-filing): https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2022120297 · retrieved 2026-08-10 · last verified 2026-08-10