452 N. Los Robles Ave

A 227-unit apartment proposal for a surface site on North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena — anchored by a 99 Cents Only store — went before the city in 2020, then was withdrawn by its developer the following year.

What was proposed

Summerhill Apartment Community Investments, LLC proposed combining the site into roughly 2.6 acres for a four- to five-story building of 227 rental apartments, plus about 4,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. KTGY Architecture + Planning designed it, with 365 parking spaces across two subterranean levels. The plan called for no on-site affordable units.

What it would have replaced

The site is a 31,100-square-foot retail building, built in 1965, with surface parking — formerly anchored by a 99 Cents Only Stores location — on North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena's CL (Limited Commercial) zone.

How it got here

The project needed a rezone to a Planned Development district to advance past the city's base commercial zoning, which required a Predevelopment Plan Review (case PPR2020-00001). The City Council received that review as an informational item on July 20, 2020, with some members raising concerns about the project's 67-foot height against the site's 36-foot base limit. The Design Commission gave preliminary design comments on August 11, 2020. No formal Planned Development rezone application was ever filed after that.

Where it stands

Summerhill withdrew the application on May 6, 2021, according to Pasadena Now coverage published that month. Pasadena's planning director told the outlet the department "could not support a project of that size and scale without providing on-site affordable units," and residents had also opposed it. The 99 Cents Only store closed in 2024 when the chain shut down, and the site was later marketed for sale as a redevelopment opportunity. County title records show a grant deed recorded in March 2026; no new application has been filed since.

What this means if you live nearby

This specific 227-unit proposal isn't moving forward. The site remains zoned CL with a General Plan designation allowing up to 87 units per acre, so a future applicant could pursue something similar — or different — on the same parcels. This entry will be updated if a new proposal surfaces.