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The
Del Mar Station Transit Village provides a
complex civic plaza for those who live and work
in this area of Pasadena. It also encourages
visitors from the entire region to board the
local light-rail and visit the historic
downtown. A bridge over the rail right-of-way
forms a physical gateway to those arriving by
train. The tower at one corner of the project
greets those arriving by automobile. The transit
village celebrates the region's historic
railroad past, incarnated in the restored
station.
This project occupies one of the most
significant areas within the city: across the
street from an Olmstead-designed park,
one-quarter mile from the city's historic
downtown, immediately adjacent to a new
light-rail line, and at the terminus of one of
the region's high traffic freeways. The 3.4-acre
site is flanked by three streets including the
main vehicular entry into the city, whose
streetscape will be concurrently restored. An
adjacent street to downtown is smaller,
well-traveled, and pedestrian-oriented. To the
north is a large parcel of land slated for
extensive mixed-use development. The site is
bisected by the north-south light-rail line.
Immediately west of the rail line is a Spanish
Revival-style train depot that is being restored
and converted for retail use. The design
protects the small building by limiting the
adjacent massing to two stories. Housing and
retail skirt three sides of the plaza, the
station completing the fourth side. The rail
right-of-way is designed as a street with public
sidewalks, plantings, lighting, and buildings.
The project provides two subterranean parking
garages capable of accommodating 1,200
automobiles. Automobiles access parking at
mid-block to discourage congestion at
intersections. A vertical circulation core for
transit users is located within each parking
structure, and pedestrian egress from the
parking levels flows directly into the lobbies
of buildings.
In order to achieve a project density of 100
units per acre without overwhelming the depot,
most housing is located in seven-story buildings
at the center of the site and an adjacent
corner. This facilitates lower massing on street
fronts and adjacent to the depot. A small piazza
adjacent to the depot eases the transition to
the four-story massing to the north. The
seven-story building facing the public plaza
steps down to permit natural daylight to reach
the paseo and plaza.
Four residential buildings feature private
courtyards. Housing typologies include liners to
conceal at-grade parking structures, stacked
flats, traditional courtyard housing,
townhouses, and walk-up lofts. The architecture
recognizes the particular character of
individual buildings by reducing them into
distinct historic styles: industrial loft,
modern commercial, Mediterranean revival,
craftsman, and modern residential.
This project is designed on the premise that a
diverse mix of both inhabitants and uses will
generate a significant urban place. The project
incorporates a variety of buildings designed to
accommodate a multitude of uses. The variety of
unit sizes and vertical unit stratification
stimulate a range of prices (larger units on
higher floors with prime views fetch higher
prices than units on lower floors). In addition,
a percentage of the units - dispersed throughout
the project - have been reserved for lower
income individuals and families. A day care
facility is included among the ground floor
commercial uses.
Del Mar’s design strives to complement and
connect with the surrounding dense residential
neighborhoods. Streetscape improvements on
surrounding streets will encourage residents of
these neighborhoods to walk to the station.
Careful coordination with the local bus agencies
has insured that local bus lines stop at the
park across the street from the site. A bicycle
storage room has been designated specifically
for the public's use.
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