Buck Wargo
CITY HALL -- Glendale is coming under fire from homeowner activists
who say the city is moving too fast to process development plans on The
Walt Disney Co. campus expansion and renovation.
The concerns are the result of a timetable announced by the city in
which a final draft of an environmental report evaluating the project
could be printed next week. The Planning Commission is expected to review
the document Oct. 16, and the Glendale Redevelopment Agency could vote to
certify it by Oct. 31, less than two months after the Sept. 5 deadline to
respond to the report.
Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council members have raised concerns
about cancer from contaminated soil and ground water. Homeowners have
complained that not enough soil sampling was done at the 125-acre site,
which had served as an airport and industrial park. One state agency, the
Department of Toxic Substances Control, has asked for more information on
whether other parcels could have contamination.
"This is way too fast," Glendale Coordinating Council President
Richard Ramirez said about the timetable. "This has turned into a
quarter-horse race. This is one of the biggest projects in Glendale's
history, and there are a lot of issues to be resolved."
Besides questions over the environmental report, Ramirez said the
group wants the city to clarify proposed business terms with Disney made
public on Friday.
"It is unbelievable that they have already responded to our concerns
in the EIR," said Joanne Hedge, president of the Riverside Rancho
Homeowners Assn. "They are going awfully fast. The city will be sorry if
they do not do this right. It will be a hot potato."
Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver said he doesn't understand the criticism. A
week ago, Glendale was sued by Oakmont View V developer Gregg
Development, which claimed the city moved too slow in processing plans.
Weaver said a majority of council members are from homeowner associations
and understand the concerns of residents, and they shouldn't be portrayed
as villains.
If the final draft of the report is not thorough, then residents can
criticize it, Weaver said.
"You can't tell the consultant how fast to move," Weaver said. "He is
being paid the big bucks and knows what it takes to respond."
The concern from homeowner activists was heightened further this week
when the Los Angeles Times reported the Regional Water Quality Control
Board is seeking more time to respond to the environmental report because
