La Crescenta building OKd

GLENDALE — A proposed three-story building in La Crescenta was met with stiff opposition from a slew of community activists who spoke out against the planned structure on Thursday night at a hearing.

Taking into account the community and its concerns, Design Review Board No. 2 unanimously voted to move the project forward to its next design phase, incorporating what it felt would be proper changes to the project’s design that could ensure its passage and regional support.

Those recommendations include designing the structure to reflect modern architectural aesthetics, revamping the site’s landscaping, ensuring that residents’ views of the mountains are not blocked — even if the building is three stories — and ensuring the project is pedestrian-friendly.

Original plans for the mixed-use building called for a three-story commercial mixed-use building to include 8,670-square feet of retail space, 17,000-square feet of medical offices and 17,000-square feet of general office space.

The building would take over the 33,290-square foot lot where Foothill Building and Lumber has sat at 3522 Foothill Blvd. for more than 55 years.

Neighbors complained to the board that the proposal would upset their quality of life and that designs for the “concrete box” some called the structure did not take into account the region’s history.

“When I moved up there it was a nice, open area,” said Jim Turner, a 37-year resident of the region. “It looks like civilization has finally caught up with us. We’re not ready for modernization.”

Others, such as resident Leslie Sauer, also criticized the project’s location and its likely water usage.

“That whole look and feel of a small town, we’re losing that,” she said. “We don’t want it to be downtown Glendale. That’s not why we moved up here.

“And we’re asked to cut down on water and outside people working here will use so much water, they will waste so much water.”

Stuart Byles, a La Crescenta resident and vice president of the Crescenta Valley Historical Society, condemned the homogeneity of the proposed project.

“This is an architectural crime wave we are seeing,” Byles said. “These are huge buildings that say everything about the developer, but nothing about the community.”