Tim Willert
NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Business is booming at Starbucks at the
intersection of Burchett Street and Pacific Avenue.
But some residents who live within walking distance of the trendy
coffee shop are tired of the resulting traffic, parking and noise
problems.
"When I come home I can't even park in front of my own house," said
Theresa Riservato, who has lived in the 500 block of Burchett for nearly
15 years. "But the biggest problem I have is the trash. They dump their
napkins and paper cups in the street."
Police are keeping an eye on the coffee shop, which opened last summer
and has attracted its share of problems, particularly at night.
"That individual Starbucks has become a destination for young people,
and we've had some problems with traffic violations and parking
violations and noise problems," said Glendale Police Sgt. Bruce Fox, a
member of the department's community police partnership team. "Both
community policing and patrol officers have identified that as an area we
need to do problem-solving in."
Salon owner Thomas Oritz, who leased the space to Starbucks in June of
last year, said the problems have been isolated.
"It hasn't been too bad," Ortiz said Thursday. "I think a small
percentage of the people who come her are self-serving and have disregard
for the community."
In April of last year, the city zoning department granted Ortiz a
parking variance for the coffee shop despite no off-street parking.
"We tried to tell them there wasn't enough parking, and there's also a
lot of traffic off Glenoaks," said Jack King, who lives on Burchett. "It
is just not a very good place for a Starbucks."
A Starbucks assistant manager declined to comment Thursday, but Fox
said management is concerned about people congregating in front of the
coffee shop without buying anything.
"We want it to be a place people go to buy coffee, not to be a
destination for people to engage in criminal behavior," Fox said.
Said King: "It is becoming a real mess. They don't understand, the
people that come here, that this is a residential area."
