Imagining Our Future Together with the Altadena Community

For 115 years, Polytechnic School has offered a dynamic educational program for students in grades K-12 from our campus in Pasadena.

In 2022, Poly was presented with a unique opportunity to acquire an 80-acre property in Altadena off Chaney Trail that will allow us to elevate our programs and keep pace with changing needs. The Nuccio family has decided to wind down their longstanding business, Nuccio’s Nurseries, in the coming years and has entrusted Poly as the next generation owner of this remarkable property.

John Bracker, Head of School, at a community event in Altadena
Nuccio’s Nurseries in Altadena

We are excited to envision the future of this site together with our new neighbors, and develop a thoughtful plan that supports our students and creates a true community asset for Altadena.

Our Vision

Poly has pursued this opportunity to advance the school’s mission to provide a well-rounded and transformative education for its students. We intend to preserve the majority of the site as open space, while allowing for experiential, hands-on learning in environmental science, sustainability, and outdoor education.

Health, wellness, and athletics are also essential aspects of a Poly education, and this site will offer us the opportunity to provide athletic facilities and a home for teams that currently practice and compete off-campus or on undersized fields.

Guiding Principles

At Poly, we instill in our students a strong sense of commitment to their community and the larger world. As we embark on this new opportunity, we will be guided by the following principles:

We are committed to being a superb neighbor and steward of the land

$

Our intention to only utilize the same general footprint as the current nursery and preserve the majority of the site as open space.

We are committed to ensuring the property remains a valuable resource for the community

$
We will maintain – if not improve – access to hiking and equestrian trails and protect native undeveloped land along with the plant and animal species living within it.

We are committed to prioritizing public safety

$
We intend to deliver a best-in-class fire safety program to protect our students, our neighbors, and the Angeles National Forest.

We are committed to a proactive, inclusive, and transparent process

$

We will work in partnership with the community to hear their views and priorities to help guide the development of our plan.

The Process

We are at the earliest stages of a comprehensive, multi-year process to shape our plans for the site. We have begun meeting with community members to share our goals, listen to feedback, and engage in a meaningful dialogue to help us create a plan that achieves the priorities of our school and the community.

Once a plan is developed, we will file an application that will kickstart an extensive public review and approval process under the California Environmental Quality Act, led by L.A. County. This will include an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and detailed studies of any potential impacts, such as noise and traffic, along with mitigation measures.

We are fully committed to a transparent and inclusive process that will involve many opportunities for participation from neighbors, community members, government agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure we develop a project in harmony with the broader Altadena area.

We Are Here
We Are Here

Information Gathering & Plan Development

Project Application Filing

Notice of Preparation (NOP)

Opportunity for Public Input
Opportunity for Public Input

Public Scoping Meeting

Draft EIR

Public & Agency Review

Final EIR

Planning Commission Hearing

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Approval

“Five generations of my family have loved, lived, worked and played on this land. Now that it’s time for us to pass on this custodianship, we couldn’t be more pleased to find Polytechnic School ready, willing and able to accept it. ”
– Joe Nuccio

News & Updates

We look forward to sharing updates with the community as this process moves forward.

Sign Up to Stay Informed