INSPECTIONS IMPROVE HOUSING.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Marleene Sebastian probably never would have changed the drab brownish carpeting in the apartment she's lived in for 22 years had it not been for a voluntary city inspection program designed to keep apartment living conditions up to code.

The Maple Street apartment building that Sebastian also manages is one of the 669 properties that fall in the city's successful Mariposa Neighborhood Improvement Project area - a pilot program that allowed city officials to initiate inspections of rental units rather than to wait for complaints from tenants or landlords.

Nearly three years of inspections have brought 89 percent of the 615 properties inspected in compliance with city codes - an effort that has not only helped increase property values in the South Glendale neighborhood, but has made apartments a little more pleasant for the tenants.

Once she changed the carpet, Sebastian decided to buy new furniture - creating a brand new feel for her family.

``This will keep landlords on their toes to keep their properties in good shape and keep a good standard of living for everyone,'' said Sebastian, a Glendale school librarian. ``The inspections bring everything up to code and if some landlords weren't doing that, with the city more involved, it gave the landlords the feeling they have to do it.''

Most of the violations have been relatively minor like peeling and flaking paint, broken doors and bad plumbing - problems tenants generally don't complain about because they're afraid owners will raise their rents.

But with the city acting as a mediator, some of those problems that tenants and landlords grudgingly chose to live with were being fixed.

``Tenants thought it was a better idea for the city to initiate inspections because they wouldn't feel the pressure to turn in the owner when they needed something to be corrected,'' said Elena Bolbolian, the Mariposa project manager. ``And sometimes, owners were using the city to get into the apartments they were unable to get into. It worked out for both sides.''

Fixing violations that seem minor now would prevent major violations and expending more city resources in years to come, officials said.

The project has been such a success that the City Council voted in March to allocate $314,000 to expand it to the area south of the Mariposa neighborhood - about 6,000 units bound by Broadway, Brand Boulevard, San Fernando Road and Tyburn Street - as well as continue to maintain the Mariposa neighborhood with quality-control inspections. The pilot program was funded by a 2001 state grant.

Expanding the project and continuing to work with more property owners in the city will go a long way toward maintaining the quality of Glendale's housing stock, said Councilman Rafi Manoukian.

``It wasn't a heavy-handed approach in terms of code enforcement,'' Manoukian said. ``We just said, we're here to work with you because the housing stock is important for the city - if the housing stock goes, so does the rest of Glendale.''

About 15 cities including San Dimas, Concord and Davis have contacted Glendale about the project and expressed an interest in duplicating its model, Bolbolian said.

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Marleene Sebastian got new carpeting in her apartment as a result of Glendale's Mariposa Neighborhood Improvement Project. Now, 89 percent of the 615 properties inspected now meet city codes.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer