Galleria is ordered to redo signs

CITY HALL — The Glendale Galleria has until Oct. 1 to get a plan for more permanent signs at its Central Avenue entrance approved after the Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday made it clear that the hastily installed vinyl signs they put up don’t cut it.

The large banner signs — which tout the mall and some of its stores — were attached to the all-brick facade of the Central Avenue entrance several weeks ago as the significance of the entryway changed with the opening of the Americana at Brand across the street.

But the signs were illegal under city code, putting the Redevelopment Agency in the awkward position on Tuesday of considering a request for a rules variance after the banners had already been installed.

Councilman Dave Weaver took issue with the after-the-fact process, saying the Galleria “needs to get their act together,” in between comments from the majority of his colleagues that the design of the banners was inadequate and too low-end.

“I’m not thrilled about the idea that it happened in this manner,” Mayor John Drayman said. “I don’t think [the banners] speak well for the city. I don’t think they speak well for the Galleria.”

But according to JoAnne Brosi, senior general manager for the Glendale Galleria, the important thing was that the banners spoke at all as the 250 merchants inside the mega-mall grew concerned of their ability to attract customers during the Americana’s grand opening.

“I really work for 250 tenants,” she told the agency Tuesday.

“So my decisions were totally based on that, and that’s what I did this for.”

The Glendale Galleria had planned to ask for a six-month variance just prior to the Americana’s May 3 opening to the public, she said, but it didn’t meet the requirement to publicly notice the hearing 10 days beforehand, forcing it to be rescheduled.

By then, she said the signs were already fabricated, and mall merchants were anxious to have them installed as hype surrounding the Americana reached an all-time high.

“This is not where I wanted to be today in terms of creating ill will with all of you,” Brosi said. “Unfortunately, I did not understand the process that well.”