Against Acting in Secret

On Feb. 25, the Glendale Design Review Board approved a project at 3950 Foothill Blvd. comprised of 34 apartments and four commercial spaces despite considerable opposition from the community. That opposition was doomed to fail because in March 2020 the city granted the developer concessions regarding building height, lot coverage and open space in return for a commitment to include a few affordable apartments.  

The first opportunity the public had to comment was before the DRB, almost one year after crucial decisions were made by city Community Development Dept. staff without any notice to the public. This lack of notice is particularly reprehensible because at least one interested community member asked for notice and was assured in writing that she would receive it. That never happened.

SB 1818 requires cities to grant concessions to developers who commit to include affordable units in residential projects but there are numerous concessions from which to select. Some of those concessions are not appropriate for a steeply sloped site in a suburban community. Nothing in SB 1818 prohibits local governments from giving the public notice when developers request concessions for projects that include affordable units. Both Pasadena and Burbank provide public notice and a hearing before granting SB 1818 concessions. Acting in secret is a decision Glendale has made. It needs to be changed and hopefully will be.

At the city council meeting on March 9, at the request of neighborhood associations, City Councilmembers Paula Devine and Ardy Kassakhian directed staff to begin immediately posting and notifying the public when applications for SB 1818 concessions are filed and to report on how to involve the community in making such decisions in the future. If you don’t want to see our community packed with similar projects, watch the city’s website for applications, request notice regarding projects that interest you and tell city staff what you think of the project.

Mary-Lynne Fisher, President
Crescenta Highlands Neighborhood Association
Glendale-La Crescenta