MARYLAND AVENUE PARKING AN ISSUE.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Improving parking and traffic flow along Maryland Avenue and attracting a major retailer to the area are among the ideas being considered by city staffers as they try to make the Exchange a more economically viable project.

The city already is working to improve the lighting at shop entrances and near the parking garage, but officials realize that more needs to be done to make the area between Wilson Avenue and Broadway more profitable for tenants.

``Over the last 15 years, we have continued to struggle on how to make the Exchange work better both with better retailers and more customers,'' said Jeanne Armstrong, Glendale's director of development services. ``We know it's not convenient for people. A lot of people go to the movies and leave, and we want to change it so they stay and shop there.''

Toward that end, officials are considering the creation of a left-turn lane at the parking garage's southern entrance - a project that would cost about $250,000 - or converting Maryland to a one-way street.

Other ideas include attracting a retail anchor to the northwest corner of Wilson and Maryland; offering loans and grants for improving the Maryland Hotel; or leasing ground-floor space in the hotel for an anchor tenant.

The ideas were presented Tuesday to the Glendale Redevelopment Agency, which improves and revitalizes blighted areas in the city and oversees the Exchange project, but no action was taken.

The city staff also is considering ways to deal with the traffic back-up that occurs in the parking garage after movies let out.

Potential solutions include charging $1 for cars entering after 6 p.m. and leaving the gates up after closing to allow easier flow out of the structure. The city might also try out free parking with the gates raised for a few weekends to see whether it would help the traffic pattern.

The staff also has been in preliminary discussions about having the Redevelopment Agency help with the financing of $4 million in proposed improvements to the Mann Theatres, including installing stadium seating, new carpeting and an advanced sound system.

``The city has started suggesting that they'll help us bring these theaters up to current standards,'' said Bill Holderness, the developer of the Exchange.

Arthur Melkonyan, who opened the Urartu Coffee cafe a year ago at 119 N. Maryland Ave., said one of the biggest problems has been the absence of short-term parking on the street.

``It's inconvenient for people,'' Melkonyan said. ``You can't drop-off or pick up people, and if you do, you end up spending thirty-some dollars for a cup of coffee.''

The city's Traffic and Transportation staff studied providing 15-minute parking on Maryland, but said the narrow width of the street precluded that option.