Tim Willert
CITY HALL -- From Jeanne Armstrong's perspective, it's all about
making the city better.
From spearheading public improvements and assisting small businesses
to directing large downtown commercial projects, the city's development
services division strives to improve the quality of life and promote
positive growth in Glendale.
"We help businesses large and small, anywhere in the city of
Glendale," said Armstrong, who has been at the helm of the department
since 1989.
Development services, on the second floor of the Municipal Services
Building, encourages retail, cultural arts, housing and office projects
that provide tax revenue and create jobs for Glendale.
The department acts as a liaison between the Redevelopment Agency and
the City Council, recommending projects that both bodies vote on.
"We're trying to keep a healthy, balanced community," said Philip
Lanzafame, the department's assistant director. "In order to pay for the
services we provide, we need to have a healthy relationship between
businesses and residents."
Development pays.
The city takes in $1 million annually in transient occupancy tax from
the Hilton Glendale, and collects about $4 million in sales tax each year
from the Glendale Galleria and Brand Boulevard auto dealers.
Department staffers help business owners understand everything from
building permits to zoning codes.
"We help them market themselves, and we market Glendale," Armstrong
said.
Development services is responsible for developing the San Fernando
Corridor, which includes 750 acres, and redeveloping about 260 acres in
the downtown area.
The biggest redevelopment project on the table is the Town Center
project, which will bring retail, commercial, residential and park space
to downtown Glendale.
"I'd like to see it as a gathering place for the whole community,"
Armstrong said. "And as an economic benefit for the general fund."
The agency has approved the project's preliminary design, and the
developer is pitching the project to retailers.
The project is 12 to 18 months from breaking ground, Lanzafame said.
Both Armstrong and Lanzafame are quick to call Glendale a business
friendly city because of no business license fees, no long-distance phone
taxes and competitive utility rates.
"It's cheaper to do business her than in other cities," he said.
THE GLENDALE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
* DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jeanne Armstrong.
* PERSONNEL: 14 employees, including 10 project managers.
* BUDGET: $8,209.
