CITY HALL
Councilman says city staffers killed deal
Councilman Bob Yousefian accused city staff members Tuesday of
going behind the City Council's back and scuttling a 19-story luxury
condominium complex in the heart of the city.
The 135-unit project, proposed by Bosa Development Inc. of
Vancouver, British Columbia, would have been built on the corner of
Brand Boulevard and Wilson Avenue, at the site of the grassy meadow
that is currently home to the Glendale Farmers Market. The council,
acting as the Glendale Redevelopment Agency, approved preliminary
design plans in January 2004 that called for luxury two- and
three-bedroom condominiums with retail stores on the first floor and
a second-floor private terrace with a pool, a spa and landscaping.
Bosa officials were in the process of closing escrow with the
owners of the property, the Ohio State Teachers' Retirement Fund, at
the beginning of the summer. But the deal fell through as far back as
June, Yousefian said, and he and fellow council members did not find
out until they received an e-mail from Development Services staff
members on Aug. 23.
Yousefian said that a Bosa Development official told him that
Redevelopment Agency staff members had suggested to his company that
there was no longer support for the project He called for a hearing
on the matter, and suggested a review of the recent appointment of
Phil Lanzafame as the city's director of Development Services.
* The city will defend the need for a rail crossing at Flower
Street, the City Council decided Tuesday, despite protests from
residents and state officials against the project.
The council voted 4 to 0 in closed session to authorize city staff
members to hire a law firm to represent the city before an
administrative law judge, City Atty. Scott Howard said.
Councilman Bob Yousefian abstained from voting, saying he had
safety concerns about the project and would be speaking against the
city before the judge.
A hearing on the Flower Street crossing has yet to be set.
The at-grade crossing, which would be located on a future six-lane
extension of Flower Street across from Pelanconi Avenue, would
connect a 100-acre development being built by the Walt Disney Co. on
the west side of the tracks with San Fernando Road.
It was approved by the state Public Utilities Commission three
years ago, but design delays pushed the project past the two-year
approval period, requiring the city to once again request permission
from the state to proceed with construction.
