Complex condo vote scheduled

CITY HALL — The Redevelopment Agency will set the ball rolling today on the nextstage of the controversial Americana at Brand.

The agency is slated to vote on whether to allow Americana Housing L.P., which is a partnership between developer Caruso Affiliated Holdings and real estate investment firm Barrow Street, to construct a 100-unit condominium project as part of the shopping complex.

Voters approved the condo piece as part of the project in a September 2004 referendum, but the agency's approval is required.

The agency must verify that Americana Housing's plans meet the requirements set forth in the original agreement that the council approved, said Dave Ahern, deputy director of the city's Redevelopment Agency.

"We had to make sure the entity is up to par with requirements of the development agreement — the financial wherewithal, and assuming all responsibilities of developing what council previously approved," he said.

The Americana at Brand is a mixed-use project with about 475,000 square feet of retail space and 338 housing units on a 15.5-acre lot adjacent to the Glendale Galleria.

The condo units will sit on the corner of Colorado Street and Brand Boulevard.

Approval of the project was met by both heavy support and heavy opposition from the community before it was ultimately approved in 2004.

Galleria owners General Growth Properties filed suit against the project in 2004, challenging its environmental approvals and arguing that two buildings to be demolished on the site were historic.

But a Los Angeles Superior Court judge's rejection of the case in January 2005, and a state appellate court's subsequent ruling against General Growth in November 2005, cleared the way for the Americana's construction.

City Councilman Dave Weaver said he is excited about the condos and feels they will add to the ambience and future of the downtown.

"It's a big area, and there are going to be a lot more people living in downtown because of the Americana," he said. "It's going to be fabulous, everything Caruso does is first class."

Caruso was the developer on the successful Grove complex in Los Angeles.

But some community members remain opposed to the idea of the project.

Glendale activist Margaret Hammond, who has spoken several times against the project, said she will likely attend the meeting to voice her opinion.

"I'm against anything to do with Caruso getting anything more," she said. "He has already gotten enough out of [the city]."

The Americana at Brand is slated to be complete by 2008.