Consultants urge overlay approach to spur Pasadena Avenue reinvestment; commissioners agree to FDOT talks

Consultants from Ford Penellis told the South Pasadena commission at a workshop that they are restarting a project to revise land‑development regulations along the Pasadena Avenue/Gulfport Boulevard commercial corridor to encourage reinvestment while preserving local character.

"What we're here to do today is kind of restart the conversation," said Rodney Chapman, a member of the Ford Penellis team. Principal planner Noshin Raman summarized the consultant team's work to date and the project's purpose: "the purpose of this is to focus on land development regulations in your commercial corridor, namely the Pasadena Avenue and Gulfport Boulevard area."

The consultants presented a market review that showed both opportunity and challenges: staff and consultants cited as much as 75,000 square feet of retail market potential in the city but also noted negative net absorption and many aging buildings in the corridor. The presentation included parcel maps that identify sites with higher redevelopment potential where land value exceeds building value.

Raman described the city's existing planned redevelopment district zoning as permissive of mixed use but said it has not yielded the type of reinvestment the city envisioned. As an alternative, consultants recommended adopting an overlay for targeted parcels that would make incentives explicit — for example, expedited review or reduced setbacks in exchange for public improvements such as landscaping, signage or improved internal circulation.

Consultants flagged two state constraints that shape options. The team warned that the Live Local Act allows residential or mixed‑use redevelopment of commercial properties under certain conditions and that Senate Bill 180 limits local governments from adopting more restrictive land‑use rules in ways that could be treated as burdensome. Raman said the overlay approach is one way to provide options and incentives rather than new mandatory restrictions.

Commissioners focused questions on street‑level improvements and how much of Pasadena Avenue falls under FDOT authority. Several commissioners described portions of the corridor as "very unappealing" and asked whether palms or medians could be added to change the corridor's appearance. Consultants said median work would require FDOT approval but offered to open conversations on the city's behalf.

Mayor Penny and staff asked the consultants to resume public outreach and to resend the previous materials, noting that a community workshop will be important to test tradeoffs such as height and density and to gauge what incentives business and property owners would accept. Staff and the consultants agreed to follow up with FDOT about beautification options and to schedule community engagement.

The workshop yielded no formal vote. Next steps recorded by staff: consultants will circulate slides and prior packets, staff will pursue FDOT coordination on median and roadside beautification, and the commission will consider community outreach before drafting specific overlay language.