Pasadena Star News - March 14, 2007
by Janette Williams, Staff Writer

PASADENA - The third attempt to develop 19.72 acres of the former Ambassador College campus at the city's western entrance failed to get final City Council approval Monday night and will come up for discussion again April 2.

After four hours of public testimony and duelling legal opinions on a disputed property line, Mayor Bill Bogaard said the council wants to clarify some details before giving Ambassador West a green light, as had been recommended by city staff.

However, Bogaard and other council members seemed to indicate an overall favorable opinion of the project, the third in eight years proposed for a scenic section of the former campus of the World Wide Church of God.

Greg Galletly, president of developer Dorn Platz, said Tuesday he was "pleasantly surprised" by the level of support, and wasn't disappointed the council wants to revisit the plans.

"It's a complex project, and the City Council asked some astute questions dealing with density transfers and park dedication," Galletly said.

However, he said, it was unlikely the project's only controversial element, the 450,000-square-foot Sunrise Senior Living project, could be downsized. "It would change the economics of the plan by trying to move the density somewhere else ... and then unintended consequences kick in," he said. "We've worked hard to integrate everything."

If the project is approved, ground-breaking could start in about a year, Galletly said, adding that 25 units of affordable housing in restored campus apartment buildings are included.

Two earlier proposals were for as many as 1,900 houses on the entire 47-acre campus, which the church later sold off in three pieces. Dorn Platz's plan leaves 72 percent of the remaining west campus as open space, preserving the historic houses and gardens and saving 80 percent of the trees; it's favored by the neighbors who fought both previous development attempts.

"We ought not to forget how far we've come," district Councilman Steve Madison said. "It's unfortunate we have this conflict, but I feel we're close."

Madison was referring to a sparring match between attorneys for developer Dorn Platz and Harvest Rock Church over a survey that the church's attorneys claim wrongly assigns some of its property to Dorn Platz.

Robert Silverstein, acting for the church, said the project could not be approved since the final environmental impact report was "fatally flawed" and based on wrong information. The project as it stands, he said, involves an "illegal taking" of the church's property that could lead to legal action.

R. Scott Jenkins, Dorn Platz's attorney, said the dispute was a technicality and could be resolved between both private parties without involving the city.

Harvest Rock, Jenkins said, claims Dorn Platz had "somehow hijacked their property rights and taken something from them - that's what I find outrageous."

Galletly said he's confident Dorn Platz and Harvest Rock can come to an agreement and the city would be given an indemnity against any possible lawsuit.

Public comment was evenly divided on the luxury senior condo development adjacent to the Ambassador Auditorium. Some, including members of Harvest Rock Church, said the building is too massive for the site and would overpower the auditorium, which the church has owned since 2004. Others said the city needs high-end senior housing and the size is a trade-off for open space.

Richard Bruckner, the city's director of development, said there's "no argument" the building is large, but city zoning specifically directs density to the eastern edge of the site to allow open space on the rest.

"We worked to balance the entire plan, and it has to be looked at in its totality," Bruckner said.

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janette.williams@sgvn.com
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© 2007 Pasadena Star News