Josh Kleinbaum
Because of the importance of the proposed 15.5-acre Town Center
development in downtown Glendale, the city's Redevelopment Agency is
considering having plans for the project reviewed by both of the
city's Design Review Boards, a step it has never taken before.
"This is almost a $200-million project. When you have a
$200-million project encompassing 15 acres in the center of town,
[you] don't get too many re-dos," said agency chairman Bob Yousefian,
who is also a city councilman.
The city has two five-member boards of people in the architectural
and construction business that review all new projects in the city.
Usually, each project is assigned to one board. The Town Center
project, a proposed retail and residential complex in the heart of
downtown, is still scheduled to appear before Design Review Board 1
on March 4.
Yousefian suggested that Design Review Board 2 review it as well.
The agency will vote on the idea at its meeting this afternoon at
City Hall, 613 E. Broadway.
"It would set a precedent, but it's a policy issue that will be
decided by the agency," Director of Development Services Jeanne
Armstrong said. "I've been here 15 years, and I'm not aware of them
considering a project together."
For most projects, the council would not even have the option
without modifying a city ordinance. City Atty. Scott Howard said that
municipal code dictates that each project get approval of one design
review board. The only exception, Howard said, are projects in
redevelopment zones. Those projects fall in the Redevelopment
Agency's jurisdiction, not the City Council, and are exempt from
design review.
"There's no legal issue, because they're not required to go [to
the Design Review Board] anyway," Howard said. "The agency can refer
projects to the DRB, and almost as a matter of course, they do."
Design Review Board 1 approved the project's preliminary design in
December 2002.
Yousefian said getting input from all 10 design review board
members at once will be more valuable for a project that will have
such a long-term effect on downtown Glendale.
"I want to hear all of those things at the same time," Yousefian
said. "It's going to be our last big project in the downtown area,
and I want to get input."
