Redevelopment

Karen S. Kim The Housing Authority on Tuesday will consider taking steps to block the state government from seizing its funds. City staff have recommended appropriating about $3 million of the authority's redevelopment set-aside funds, severely threatened through Gov. Gray Davis' proposed budget, in an attempt to protect the money. "It's not like we're trying to do anything funny," Community Development and Housing Director Madalyn Blake said.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Elissa Glickman, the newly appointed chief executive of the nonprofit that runs the Alex Theatre. Even though we are friends via social media, I had not seen Glickman since I left the Alex Regional Theatre (ART) Board in 2004. I served on the committee that interviewed and hired her to be director of marketing and resource development, so news of her promotion was a happy occasion, as it reinforced what we saw in her some eight years ago. It was an interesting meeting for a couple of reasons, our differing perspectives on the recent demise of redevelopment agencies statewide being one such reason . I have been critical of redevelopment agencies for transacting in a number of questionable real estate and financial decisions that by many accounts seem to favor wealthy developers more than the people they are supposed to serve.

Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) will be a guest on the "Larry Zarian Forum" at 7 p.m. today. Frommer will discuss the state budget shortfall and how Gov. Gray Davis' budget proposal could affect the city of Glendale. Davis has proposed collecting money from local redevelopment coffers and funds cities receive through state vehicle-license fees. Frommer will also give his take on local issues, including what role he played in the city's purchase of the Oakmont View V property, during the show.

CITY HALL — A $2.16-million federal windfall for a south Glendale affordable-housing complex is expected to free up city redevelopment money for other similar projects, city officials said. The Housing Authority today is expected to formally receive the funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 72-unit multifamily rental project at 1814 Vassar Ave., freeing up city redevelopment money previously tied to the project for other affordable-housing ventures.

The nonprofit that manages the Alex Theatre plans to form a task force in the coming months to deal with the impending loss of more than $400,000 a year from the city of Glendale - the result of the state slashing redevelopment powers and possibly taking ownership of the historic venue. The task force will be made up of Glendale Arts board members, staff members and local residents, said Elissa Glickman, who after serving as interim chief executive of the nonprofit that runs the Alex Theatre, was recently given the permanent job. At the first-ever “State of the Alex” presentation to board members on Tuesday, Glickman said the task force will study three areas - fundraising potential, income opportunities, such as rental rates, and operations, including staff costs - and then make recommendations, Glickman said.

People in the city of Glendale should be more concerned about the redevelopment efforts of General Growth rather than Caruso. General Growth went public in 1993, and its mission in the past 10 years or so was for the sole purpose of gaining market share through acquisitions and redevelopment of underperforming properties. It is not slowing down. Real estate investment trusts (REITS) don't want to pay too much for a property, but they don't want to miss an opportunity to buy a property that will perform well long-term (i.e.

City officials and dozens of area residents gathered Saturday morning in Glendale's Griffith Manor Park to celebrate its reopening after 10 months and $2.9 million worth of extensive renovations. Once little more than a decaying lawn, the three-acre park in the city's industrial San Fernando corridor now features new childrens playgrounds, a lighted basketball court, shaded picnic areas, security fences, an expanded parking lot and a brand-new, 2,400-square-foot community building.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- A second phase of funding for the Western Avenue and Flower Street ramps at the Golden State (5) Freeway is moving through channels. As expected, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted Thursday to recommend another $14.5 million be budgeted for the project. Two years ago, the California Transportation Commission approved $7.7 million for the interchange work with the intent of budgeting more funds in the future as the project moved closer to construction.

CITY HALL — To ease fears caused by a weak, unstable market, city officials today will consider reducing the amount of fees developers can pay in lieu of including affordable housing units in their projects. Five developments proposed for the San Fernando Road Corridor Redevelopment area totaling 823 units could be affected by any move the City Council, together with the Housing Authority, makes today to amend the current policy, in which developers can pay into a city-administered housing fund rather than include affordable units.

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- A memorial will be held Sunday for Jack Day, the former Glendale mayor who died Feb. 26. Day, who served 12 years on the City Council, was mayor in 1981 and 1982. Ginger Bremberg, the City Councilwoman who took her first trip to the mayor's chair two years after Day, said she had warm memories of the man, both as a public servant and as an individual. "He was a great, good friend of mine," Bremberg said. "He certainly enjoyed being redevelopment chair and mayor.