After six years of back-and-forth, The La Cañada Flintridge City Council has approved 600 Foothill, a mixed-use project from Cedar Street Partners that will bring 80 residential units and 16 short-term stay suites to the area. This is the first builder’s remedy project to be approved by a Southern California city.
13 percent of the development’s homes will be affordable, and the project will also deliver 7,287 square feet of office space. Cedar Street first proposed the development in 2019, but sparred with the city council over the board’s reluctance to re-zone the area and approve the development.
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Sustainability features at 600 Foothill will include EV charging stations, rooftop solar panels and accessible bike parking.
The site is about 2 miles from both NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital. Downtown Los Angeles is about 14 miles south of the development, while Los Angeles International Airport is about 31 miles away.
A yearslong legal battle
California’s Housing Accountability Act makes it harder for municipalities to reject affordable housing developments absent specific reasons, and establishes penalties for cities that do not comply. Builder’s remedy, established by the law, allows for developers to bypass city approvals if the city’s restrictions are not compliant with the state law.
According to L.A. Business First, Cedar Street Partners first put forward a plan to the City Council in 2020 to build a 47-unit mixed-use development at the site, which the council rejected. In 2022, the developer filed another proposal for an 80-unit development under builder’s remedy, which was also turned down.
Following the denials, Cedar Street sued the city along with two nonprofits. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta also intervened in the dispute on behalf of the developer, L.A. Business First reported.
In March 2024, the California Superior Court found La Canda Flintridge in violation of HAA, ordering the city to either post a $14 million appeal bond or dismiss its appeal. In March of this year, the city agreed to dismiss its appeal, paving the way for the project to be approved.
In an October 2025 Viewpoint column for Multi-Housing News, Cedar Street Managing Member Jonathan C. Curtis emphasized the importance of state laws like HAA in combating NIMBYism.
“Our experience at Cedar Street Partners shows that clear rules and decisive enforcement can make a tangible difference,” Curtis wrote. “The builder’s remedy case in La Cañada Flintridge confirmed that state housing law prevails when localities fall short.”
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