Galleria

I never thought I would live long enough to witness the "miracles" that are happening in Glendale. The Redevelopment Agency continues in its quest to trash the city of Glendale and make it into a honky-tonk garish tasteless strip mall city of the worst type. The latest "idea" is signs everywhere from 12-feet to 7-feet high throughout the city to "direct" potential customers who are not sure where to go. They can find Glendale, but ahh, locating Brand Boulevard, the Galleria and downtown is much too much to ask without 12-foot signs, etc. The News-Press reports that the city's development services director has now decided the customers attracted to the downtown area, the Brand Boulevard of Cars and the Galleria cannot locate them.

Galleria gathering goes over the latest in upcoming trends for holiday season shopping, fashion.GLENDALE -- A diversified economy, a growing population and a strong housing market should ensure a strong retail climate in Glendale and Burbank as healthy as retailers hang their hopes on popular gifts. "There is a lot of strength there and we don't see it flagging," said Jack Keyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, who gathered with local retailers at the Glendale Galleria Wednesday to discuss the "Holiday Economic and Trend Forecast."

Josh Kleinbaum With an election to determine the fate of a $264.2-million retail and residential center seven weeks away, Glendale organizations are beginning to pick sides. The Chevy Chase Estates Assn. and the Rossmoyne-Mountain Homeowners Assn. endorsed 'no' votes on measures A, B and C, which will determine the fate of the project. The Glendale Chamber of Commerce and the Glendale Real Estate Assn. have officially endorsed 'yes' votes. The Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council and the Downtown Merchants Assn.

Gary Moskowitz None of the four finalists in Saturday's "Shake Your Groove Thang" Hip Hop & Freestyle Dance Contest had planned on winning, and most of them hadn't even planned on competing at all. The dance contest, in the JC Penney court at the Glendale Galleria, was designed to give teens a chance to show their dance skills in front of an audience. Three acts -- one of which consisted of two dancers -- were named finalists, and those three acts will perform again with live bands and at the "Ultimate Summer Jam 2" on the roof of the Galleria on Friday.

Now is not the right time to build the Town Center I have stood, as a citizen of Glendale for 15 or more years, and tried my utmost to ask that you not support this project that will lead us into so-called wondrous, spectacular goods and times and riches. The city of Glendale will outdo all nearby. They will not hear a single voice. How? Why? We will build something that your children will say that "Mom and Dad said, 'Build that!' " Shall we build another upon another, all to see them just fall?

Karen S. Kim Local teens with a sense of style and a penchant for shopping are invited to participate in the Zone at Glendale Galleria's "Design A Tee" contest. The winning design will be printed onto shirts and sold at a store in the Zone in the fall, with proceeds going to benefit the winner's school or favorite charity. The winner will also receive a $100 shopping spree in the Zone. "We've found that what's most effective in keeping these kids interested in a place like the Zone is giving them the opportunity to show their individuality and express themselves," said Annette Bethers, senior marketing director for the Galleria.

Ten Years Ago … Personnel affiliated with the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station were getting ready for the 13th annual Sheriff's Golf Classic, which would be held at Brookside Country Club in late June 1997. Twenty Years Ago … Glendale police were searching for a man suspected in a robbery that took place at the Security Pacific National Bank on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose. The robber, who claimed he had a gun but did not brandish it, escaped with $2500 of the bank's money.

JEFF KEATING Thursday's announcement that Rick Caruso, erstwhile developer of the Town Center in downtown Glendale, wants to renew his exclusive negotiating agreement with the city should make for some interesting public theater Tuesday afternoon. That's when the Glendale City Council, in its role as the Glendale Redevelopment Agency, will listen to a proposal by Galleria owners General Growth Properties Inc., which wants to discuss its design for the Town Center.

Regarding the approved plans for a new Bloomingdale's [“Plan for Bloomingdale's gets the nod,” Sept. 1] Councilman Ara Najarian should be embarrassed by his own biased comments toward consumers who spend their money in our city. He says that the types of customers In-N-Out attracts “aren't what that part of the city needs” and that the “demographic is completely opposite” to what he thinks should be next to the Galleria and the Americana. All he needed to say next was that an In-N-Out belongs only in East L.A. Did he not learn his lesson from sticking his foot in his mouth then?

We're really in the thick of it now. A week after Thanksgiving, Glendale is firmly in the grip of holiday shopping madness. It's an annual affliction that grows exponentially more severe as Dec. 25 approaches. Toy stores have become battlegrounds. Parking lots have become parking nots. Retail clerks everywhere are seriously reevaluating their career choices. Ask not for whom the kettle bells toll, Glendalians. They toll for thee. Speaking of holiday madness, 'tis also the season for parking mayhem at the Galleria and other shopping venues in the city.