GLENDALE'S HIGH HOPES UPSCALE HOUSING UNITS TO TRANSFORM DOWNTOWN.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer GLENDALE -- Downtown could account for more than 90 percent of new housing across the city as officials try to transform the area into a high-rise residential corridor. But those plans come with concern -- a lack of affordable housing, a spike in traffic and a real-estate slump that has developers nervous. "Right now, it just feels like we're so darn close to gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. here that I hope somebody's thinking, just planning ahead," said the Rev. Craig Hall Craig Hall is a rugby league player currently playing for Hull FC in the Super League. Primarily a centre, he broke into the first team in 2007 after progressing through Hull's academy. of Glendale Presbyterian Church, a downtown mainstay for 85 years. About a dozen downtown Glendale projects are either under construction or being planned. They include everything from the massive Americana at Brand Americana at Brand will be a large outdoor shopping community in Glendale, California. The site is owned by Caruso Affiliated, who owns many other commercial properties such as The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, CA. outdoor mall, which opens in the spring, to a 12-story hotel under construction just north of the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. . Most include apartments or condos. But none of them offers affordable units for low-income residents. In areas designated as redevelopment zones, the state requires developers to set aside some of their units and sell them at reduced prices for low- and moderate-income buyers. But downtown Glendale was established as a redevelopment zone in 1972, four years before the state requirement went into effect. So developers are not required to create any affordable housing. That doesn't sit well with Paul Zimmerman Paul Lionel Zimmerman (born October 23 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), known to many fans as "Dr. Z", is an American football sportswriter who currently writes for the weekly magazine Sports Illustrated. He is sometimes confused with (but not related to) Paul D. , executive director of the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Association of Nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. Housing. "The people of Glendale are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to provide housing that's affordable for most of the people in the city of Glendale," Zimmerman said. Glendale has a low-income housing program for the more industrial area around San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the and other neighborhoods throughout the city, but not for downtown. And Mayor Ara Najarian said that's how developers want it. "That would not go over very well because I think the developers would just be very, very opposed to that," he said. "We're having a hard time getting them to pay a couple thousand per unit for our parks." And it's not as if there is a lot of room for those parks. City officials say there's no space to build them unless they pay top dollar for land where rents and property values are expensive. On Tuesday, the City Council voted to charge developers $2,000 per housing unit to fund the expansion of parks and libraries. Any new project being proposed after Dec. 1 would pay $3,500 per unit. Without parks, developers have gotten creative with what they build and how they build it. At the proposed 24-story Verdugo Gardens, the developer plans to give residents a little open space to unwind Unwind 1. The closure of an investment position. 2. The reconciliation of an error previously unseen by a brokerage house. Notes: 1. Sometimes referred to as closing out a position. within the project. Five "sky gardens" would be built into the face of the building, giving residents a place to relax in gardens high in the air and each have a different theme, using elements of forests or colors associated with the sunset. Builders are marketing their downtown condos to affluent professionals and seniors trading in a big house. Najarian said less affluent, middle-class residents could find it hard to afford a place in the city. "Work force housing sort of gets ignored and overlooked because it's those folks who, they do have jobs, they're productive, but their income levels are not such that would permit them to live in Glendale," he said. "We want our teachers, our nurses, our firefighters to live in Glendale." Glendale's downtown development plan centers on building apartments and condo units on top of shops and restaurants so residents don't need to drive to the dry cleaner or the market. Officials also hope residents walk to work at nearby offices, or use the bus. It's an urban planning urban planning: see city planning. urban planning Programs pursued as a means of improving the urban environment and achieving certain social and economic objectives. style state and regional officials have encouraged to accommodate a growing population and reduce traffic by building close to transit lines. The city of Los Angeles
Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. redevelopment zones. Since 2004, more than 1,180 housing units have been built around the North Hollywood subway station, and more are in the pipeline. Still, one possible hitch in the plan to build up downtown has been the downturn in the real-estate market. Several projects are on hold, even though the city has already approved them, as developers seek buyers. "Of course this whole business with real estate is not helping at all," Councilman Bob Yousefian said. "Interest rates are high and there's a lot of foreclosure foreclosure Legal proceeding by which a borrower's rights to a mortgaged property may be extinguished if the borrower fails to live up to the obligations agreed to in the loan contract. , so people are not buying anything new and the developers frankly are very nervous." Rodney Kahn, a consultant who is working with developers on several projects for downtown, said that even though developers are wary of how the housing slump could affect condo sales, they are taking a long-term approach and still see Glendale as a good investment. "Hopefully you'll see more new and exciting restaurants, entertainment venues," he said. "I can see a lot of positive momentum being built up. "There has not been a lot of new housing that's been built in the city of Glendale, so it's not as if there is a glut glut pronounced as rut, slut Vox populi An excess of a service or skilled labor in a particular area. See Physician glut. on the market already." Meanwhile, Hall said he worries about Louise Street in front of his church getting busier and is waiting to see how city officials plan for growth. "When I go into a city, I like to look forward to it and expect an enjoyable experience, not a frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: experience," he said. "That's where the planning comes in." alex.dobuzinskis@dailynews.com (818) 546-3304 CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box, map Photo: (1 -- color) City Center II (2 -- color) The Alexander (3 -- color) Embassy Suites (4 -- color) 300 North Central Box: Building boom SOURCE: Daily News research Map: Glendale |
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