How Pasadena plans to use restorative justice in the 710 master plan project
Pasadena's Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group recently held its first formal discussion on establishing a restorative justice framework for the redevelopment of the 60-acre site.
This initiative aims to guide both the development of a master plan to reintegrate the unfinished portion of the 710 freeway back to the community , and the work of the group's subcommittees, which will focus on key elements as outlined by a city-contracted consultant for the master plan.
This "710 freeway stub", located in Northwest Pasadena , was once the home to more than 4,000 residents, primarily from low-income and minority communities, who were displaced when Caltrans cleared the land nearly six decades ago for the freeway extension that never materialized.
In June 2022, the California Transportation Commission voted to return the parcel to Pasadena. Since then, the city has been working on a redevelopment plan focused on bringing improved transportation, pedestrian-friendly spaces, parks, cultural attractions and economic opportunities to the area.
Among the guiding principles of the master plan is restorative justice. While the 16-member working group on the 710 project continues to refine solutions to this issue, most of them agreed that restorative justice should be the guiding framework for the master plan, shaping all aspects of the project, including discussions within each subcommittee.
"Definitely on the restorative justice piece, I feel that it is (and it) needs to be kind of our North Star that is guiding the substantive pieces," Committee Vice Chair Remy De La Peza said during the group's Oct. 16 meeting.
Committee Chair Danny Parker added that the group established a flexible framework, or lens, for understanding and approaching restorative justice. He noted that it's not etched in stone or a checklist.
"But instead on an ongoing basis, this is how we approach this and get to a result that would be considered success and would fulfill our charge and mission, which is to deliver something to the City Council that reflects the will, the input of the community," he said in an interview after the meeting. "And ultimately, to sound a little bit lofty, to again, enhance the overall quality of life of this city."
What is restorative justice? What is Pasadena's definition of restorative justice?
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that aims to repair harm done to victims through accountability, community involvement and dialogue. In this process, victims, offenders, and sometimes community members come together to discuss the harm done, identify its impact, and agree on ways to make amends.
To tailor the restorative justice framework to Pasadena's needs, the city staff has come up with the following Pasadena-focused working definition, according to a staff report :
Restorative Justice responds to past harms caused by construction of the 710 freeway in Pasadena. It seeks to identify, acknowledge, and respond to these harms through open and responsive engagement with impacted communities, with the goal to develop meaningful community identified solutions for City Council's consideration.
During the meeting, Assistant City Manager Brenda Harvey-Williams said that this definition, which was drafted by the consultant, and further refined by staff and the City Council, is still a work in progress. The advisory group can make edits before it's finalized, she said.
How does restorative justice fit into the project's master plan?
The restorative justice framework will be used as an evaluation tool to assess the master plan's alignment with community needs. It is one of seven focal points of the project outlined by Perkins Eastman, an architectural firm contracted by the city to lead the planning efforts.
Restorative justice will guide the project through an initial phase of analysis, where current conditions are assessed and feasible approaches are identified, according to the city's 710 Reconnecting Pasadena Project website .
This phase involves understanding the community's needs, resources, and constraints. After this assessment, the project team will develop a range of options and alternatives based on community input. These options will then be refined and narrowed down to a final plan with specific choices that reflect community priorities and feasibility.
"The overall scope of this undertaking right now is that the restorative justice framework is kind of an evaluation tool," said Richard France of Estolano Advisors, a sub-consultant of Perkins Eastman tasked with researching case studies and helping the city come up with a restorative justice definition.
"It's, in addition to best practices, we're talking through kind of like, here's what things can look like in terms of process for how we arrive at decision making, but then it can also be a tool by which we evaluate the options," France added.
For instance, if project leaders consider adding "hard infrastructure"—physical investments like roads, parks, or urban greenery—the restorative justice framework allows them to evaluate whether these choices truly reflect community needs, he said.
According to Parker, the restorative justice framework would also influence the work of the planned subcommittees, which the advisory group discussed during the meeting.
These five subcommittees, which are aligned with the seven focus areas identified by Perkins Eastman, will focus on: restorative justice, economic study and market analysis, land use and data collection, mobility and circulation, as well as climate resilience and sustainability.
The restorative justice subcommittee will launch first, with others following as the consulting firms provide additional updates, Parker said.
What did some of the Advisory Group members think about the restorative justice framework?
Committee member Cynthia Kurtz noted that Pasadena has already implemented some of the practices identified by the consultant as restorative justice mechanism to address past harms. She suggested building on existing Pasadena programs rather than creating entirely new ones.
"..how could we build on things we already do with business development and local hiring, and contracting with minority and women firms, and take what we have and maybe enrich it, rather than try to create something new that may be competing with what is being done in other parts of the city," Kurtz said.
The consultant identified increasing affordable housing as another key mechanism. Pasadena's existing Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requires that 20% of residential units in a project be sold or rented at affordable rates.
As an example of building on existing programs, the advisory group can recommend the City Council to increase this requirement, Harvey-Williams said.
Groupmember Tina Williams questioned how well Pasadena's policy allowing displaced residents priority on affordable housing lists within a 10-year window was working.
Williams suggested that for restorative justice efforts to be meaningful, the group should examine the policy's impact and consider expanding its timeframe to address longer-term displacement.
"It's only a 10-year period, so it'd be out of the range of what happened to the original owners here, as well as, potentially their descendants having the ability to come back into Pasadena," she said.
De La Peza said she hopes the city will embrace the restorative justice definition and apply it to issues across Pasadena and not solely within the scope of the 710 master plan.
"I'm hoping the city will adopt this restorative justice definition wholesale, not just for this one stub, because Ifeel like there's potential for that to inform additional solutions that may be beyond the master plan and beyond our purview," she said. "The impacts on the community were not just constrained by geography and the lines that were drawn."
What are some next steps?
The advisory group will reconvene on Nov. 20.
During the November meeting, staff expects updates from the consulting groups, including Architectural Resources Group (ARG) on historical context and Perkins Eastman on community engagement metrics .
In the meantime, advisory group members are asked to send in their top preferences for subcommittee assignments, with the option to participate in multiple groups if they wish.
