Our Mission

Pasadena is a city that values smart growth, innovation, and strong neighborhoods. Building a Better Pasadena is a community group focused on one simple idea: development works best when it fits its surroundings, follows the city’s own planning goals, and respects the community.

We support economic growth, research, and innovation.

We also believe that how and where projects are built matters—not just for nearby neighbors, but for Pasadena as a whole.

Why One Project Raises Citywide Questions

A massive research and laboratory building is being proposed at 1364 E. Green Street (corner of Green and Holliston) by Caltech and Trammell Crow, a multi-billion-dollar developer.

On paper, the project supports innovation. But when you look at scale, location, and long-term impact, it raises important questions about consistency with Pasadena’s planning principles. (Sources: 2015 Pasadena General Plan, 2022 East Colorado Specific Plan)

What’s being proposed

79-foot-tall, 4-story research and laboratory building
93,539 square feet of commercial space
260-car, 3-level underground parking garage
Garage access on Holliston Avenue

This proposal would place a building of downtown-scale intensity directly next to a historic church and school, and across the street from homes on a street historically planned for much lower heights.

Why this matters beyond this block

This is not just a neighborhood issue.

Decisions like this shape the future of Pasadena. If projects significantly exceed the scale intended for their location, it becomes harder for the city to apply its plans consistently elsewhere.

Key concerns include:

Traffic and congestion on local access streets
Pedestrian and schoolchildren safety next to a major garage entrance
Building scale that exceeds surrounding context
Loss of light, openness, and walkable character that residents value

Most importantly, approval of a 79-foot commercial building in this setting would set a precedent—making it easier for similar large projects to be proposed in other neighborhood-adjacent areas across Pasadena.

This is about fit, not opposition.

We do not oppose development or Caltech. In fact, we support Pasadena's innovation economy and want it to thrive.

What we are asking is straightforward:

Is this the right size for this residential neighborhood?
Is this the right place for a building of this scale and expected level of daily activity?
Does the design align with the city’s own planning goals?

We would support:

A more appropriately scaled project, or
A location better suited to a building of this size and use

Good planning is not about stopping progress—it’s about directing growth where it works best.