2020 Vision Is Blurry

Back in 2010, I was privileged to serve on the North Glendale Community Plan (NGCP) advisory committee. This advisory body was composed of Glendale Planning staff, business owners, community leaders, historians and residents. We spent the better part of the year envisioning the future of far North Glendale that includes part of La Crescenta, Montrose and Verdugo City. We walked the streets and imagined what our community could be or should remain and summarized those ideas into a comprehensive document with design guidelines intended to direct future development. The committee wrote the following vision statement on which the plan was based: “We value and embrace a rural suburban lifestyle which allows us to live and work close to nature, offers unique and varied neighborhood-based shopping opportunities, quality schools, a variety of recreational opportunities and recognizes our connection to the mountains, neighboring communities and our history. We seek to protect open space, advocate for sustainable development, preserve and enhance neighborhood character, provide transportation options and balance land uses.” The city adopted the plan in 2011.

Since that time, a great deal has changed in Glendale. The construction market that had all but stalled in 2008 was reinvigorated. Under the guise of the Downtown Specific Plan, large residential projects were erected, traditional single-family homes were torn down to build multi-family buildings and both local and state leaders looked toward drastic housing solutions as the population grew. Through it all, the Crescenta Valley remained relatively unscathed … until now.  With the renewed economy, developers sought infill projects in our area and those projects have started to emerge, even during the pandemic. It is important to the Crescenta Valley Community Association (CVCA) that new projects in North Glendale follow the vision of the NGCP and projects in unincorporated La Crescenta follow the Community Standards District guidelines.  The CVCA will continue to work to this end but, sometimes, it seems like a losing battle.

Case in point is the recent decision by Glendale’s Design Review Board (DRB) to approve a project at 2941-2943 Honolulu Avenue, the former site of Leo’s Sports Bar. The plan calls for demolition of the existing 1980s structure and erection of a new, three-story, modern-style residential building in the middle of existing one-story retail buildings and single-family homes.  During the hearing to review the project, the CVCA pointed to the incompatibility in mass and scale with the rest of the neighborhood. Not only did the DRB vote to approve the plan but they also pre-approved a number of concessions to the owner with very few conditions on the project in return. The DRB did not follow the spirit of the NGCP when making these decisions and the boxy, modern building design will now set a precedent for future projects along that strip in Verdugo City.

Another project described in the Historic Context section of the NGCP is Rockhaven at 2713 Honolulu. Glendale purchased this historically significant property in 2008, rescuing it from the proverbial wrecking ball and promised to transform it into a park or shared space. See the inspirational video from 2013 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88-u9JENth0. However, beyond the purchase of the property, Glendale has not made the financial commitment to restore the buildings having diverted the funds elsewhere and shifting the financial burden onto developers, requiring them to pay all costs and add revenue generation into their restoration plans. 

Twelve years later, there is still no project and the buildings continue to decay. Let the City Council know that Rockhaven should be preserved before this valuable resource is lost.

The CVCA will continue to follow projects in the development pipeline: assisted living at 2817 Montrose Ave.; housing at 2413 Foothill Blvd.; mixed-use at 3037-3045 Foothill; housing at 4520 Rosemont Ave.; assisted living at 1809 Verdugo Blvd.; housing at 3950 Foothill, as well as pending legislation. 

For further information or to join our email list, contact crescentavalleycommunityassn@gmail.com.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN