The design commission in Pasadena, California, wants to let developers of a mixed-income housing project use stucco instead of brick for façades, reported Pasadena Now. The commission recommended approval of the change due to the rising expenses of construction.

The design commission reviewed the project’s plans on Sept. 10, on which the developer also added two units, taking the number of total units on the project to 60.

The commission explained why the developer requested the changes, saying that, “construction costs have increased nearly 20 percent.”

Because the project will have affordable housing units, the rising costs have a significant effect on its construction. This led the design commission to say that the “changed circumstances [are] sufficient to justify the modification of the original Final Design Review approval.”

Besides using stucco instead of brick for some of the façades and adding two units, the developer also requested to change the roof design, move the courtyard’s planters, use wood framing and concrete tile roofing instead of standing-seam metal awnings, make one tower wider, have decorative wall tile and use glass fiber-reinforced concrete profiles instead of precast concrete detailing.

The design commission recommended approval for all of the changes but also included conditions for the developer to follow, such as to specify the colors and finishes of stucco that it wants to use.

The project was originally approved in April 2022 and is within a quarter mile of the closest Metro station. Construction has already started for the project, which will have three more years to be completed.

According to the design commission, the project will not remove any protected trees and is exempt from environmental review.

The city of Pasadena also recommended that the developer’s changes be approved, saying that they “continue to provide a durable and high-quality treatment to the project while remaining consistent with the previously approved project finishes.”