By Julie BUTCHER

At its meeting Tuesday night Mayor Elen Asatryan opted to first hear from the students of Chamlian Armenian School before the Glendale City Council debated the variance issued to the school by the city’s planning commission.

Mayor Asatryan thanked the children who addressed the Council “for coming to advocate for what you believe in and to your parents for bringing you to witness and participate in democracy.”

Alexander, a fifth grader at Chamlian, told the Council, “Chamlian is more than just a school; it’s a second home. Every morning, walking through the gates, I feel a sense of belonging and pride. It’s where I’ve made lifelong friends, where my teachers enlighten the path to success and where I’ve learned respect, discipline, kindness, self-management and other crucial life skills. Our school’s not just about academics; it’s about building a strong community. We learn to care for each other and make a positive impact. That’s why this decision matters. Granting Chamlian a perpetual conditional use permit means investing in a place that centers the Armenian community.”

Planning staff explained the variance issued to the school in 2014 expired in 2024. Private schools are not permitted in the low density residential zone (R1) where the school is located at 4444 Lowell Ave. on the east side of the street, between Foothill Boulevard and Abella Street. 

The planning commission voted to issue a permanent variance to the school assuming the student enrollment remains below 700 students. On Tuesday night, the Council voted unanimously to support the decision of the commission.

“I really hate doing this as an Armenian,” one of the appellants told the Council challenging the planning commission’s decision. “I love my culture. I love my ethnicity.”

  “We’ve got nothing against the school and we’re not trying to shut it down. What we want is accountability. Living near this school is hectic. It can take more than half an hour to go from Honolulu [Avenue] to my house on Lowell. It’s not an issue of how important Chamlian is to the community – I don’t want us to be enamored by the fact that they’re doing a great job – it’s about the fact they have continuously proven to not follow the conditions set forth and there were no consequences – now granting them a variance without an end date doesn’t give us any recourse at all.”

Susan Bolan, representing the Crescenta Valley Community Association (CVCA), offered a supportive thumbs up to the students who spoke, noting “That’s not why we’re here.” 

“There is no doubt that Chamlian provides an excellent educational opportunity and is a beloved school,” she said, “but the process of checks and balances in the city when you’re looking at projects like this has been disrupted.” 

Communications from the CVCA to the city have focused on the school’s violations of conditions in the past as well as concerns about the potential for a new preschool on school-owned property immediately across the street from the school.

Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian compared the enrollment at Chamlian with that of other area schools and noted, “If this were a public school, we’d not be having this conversation.”

“And to imagine that there won’t be traffic issues at drop-off and pickup [times] at any school is – as the kids would say – simply ‘delulu,’” he said. “I used to be a person who cringed when I saw a baby being carried onto an airplane then when we tried to start a family, we went through incredible difficulties. Having a child successfully showed me what a blessing it is to have a child in a family, in a community. And now when I hear a child crying, it actually makes me smile – it makes me smile for that family and it makes me smile for humanity – it is a sign of hope. The fact that we have schools in this community that are the envy of all the cities around us, that we have an institution like the one that produced these kids, should be considered a blessing, not something that we are complaining and grousing about.”

Councilmember Ara Najarian acknowledged the concerns of the school’s neighbors.

“If I lived on Community [Avenue], I’d be upset,” he said, reacting to pictures and video of traffic snarling down the street and around the block and urged the parties to continue to work together to address the legitimate concerns raised. He encouraged adding another mid-block crossing on Lowell Avenue as has been suggested previously.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian observed, “Chamlian wants to be treated like any other school in Glendale. Just because it’s a private school it has all these conditions attached to it. If it was a public school, we wouldn’t be here tonight.”

Before the Council debated future plans for the Verdugo Wash, Councilmembers Najarian and Gharpetian recused themselves as required by law as they have interest in property located within 500 feet of the Wash. 

The three remaining Councilmembers heard from the public and then voted to move forward, approving a professional services agreement with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. for $5,762,370 in grant funds for the preparation of the Verdugo Wash Master Plan.

The Council’s action authorizes the consultant to prepare the master plan documents, environmental reviews, background technical and engineering studies to evaluate existing conditions to ensure the Verdugo Wash continues to provide necessary flood control protections and to continue and expand public outreach about the potential project.

Councilmember Kassakhian insisted on including regular periodic check-ins along the way detailing specific expenditures and results.

Patrick Murphy addressed the Council.

“All three of you have said in public that you’d stop this project at Brand,” he said. “So why would you continue studies north of Brand? The parameter document with the state can be adjusted. The scope should be limited to public outreach and a cost-benefit analysis. This firm is from Massachusetts and they have done no business in California.”

Melissa King spoke in favor of the project.

“I’m here today because I approve this project and I want the City Council to accept the grant funds and to approve the staff’s consultant choice,” she said. “It would be such a privilege to have a path like this in our city one day. Glendale has very few natural urban areas and something like this would not only provide that, but it would do it in a way that brings different parts of the community together. I know I would use it all the time.”

Rick Stern agreed.

“I would love to see a greenway in Glendale on which people could walk, run, and bike, somewhere where one can exercise or just sit and relax in an attractive cool area, away from the dangers of traffic,” Stern said. “I urge you to vote yes to use grant funds to prepare the Verdugo Wash master plan.”

Caller Judy, a 48-year resident of Glendale, urged the Council to reject the plan. “I don’t agree with hiring an out-of-state contractor to make decisions for our city,” she said. “Again, the City Council has not been transparent about the cost of staff. Don’t mess with the flood control channel whatsoever that was built for the safety of our community.”

Councilmember Kassakhian clarified that while the consultant is based on the east coast, nine of 13 subcontractors are based in Los Angeles and Glendale. 

Councilmember Dan Brotman said that he never advocated “stopping at Brand.”

“I don’t know where that comes from, but it is absolutely false,” he said. “I have always said we should study the entire length of the Wash, all the way to Crescenta Valley Park. What we end up building, we don’t know yet.”

“Keep in mind we’re going to have to pass muster with the Los Angeles County flood control district and the Army Corps of Engineers – whose life work is to make sure these flood control channels function as they’re supposed to – believe me, they’re not going to approve anything that’s going to put the flood control functions of the wash at risk,” Councilmember Brotman continued. “I want to be part of a city that thinks big, that is ambitious, that looks for transformations that are going to support not just Glendale residents of today but Glendale residents of 20 and 30 years from now. That is what this is – it would be absolutely transformative in a positive way; it would bring so many benefits – and enhance property values along the Wash – and bring huge economic stimulus, improved health, better climate resiliency, support for biodiversity – and an active transportation spine running up and down connecting north and south Glendale.”