TRAFFIC CRUNCH KEY MALL ISSUE AMERICANA AT BRAND EXPECTED TO ADD 20,000 DAILY CAR TRIPS.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE - With a vote on Rick Caruso's 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. mall just two weeks away, both sides agree on one thing: Traffic will increase on already congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. streets if the downtown project is built. The open-air mall, set for 15.5 acres at Brand Boulevard and Colorado Street, would add at least 20,000 daily car trips to Glendale's downtown, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the project's environmental report. At least $4 million has been set aside by the developer to widen streets and add turn lanes at affected intersections. But traffic at the worst 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. sites, like Brand Boulevard and Broadway or the Interstate 5 off-ramp at Colorado Street on weekends, can't be remedied, the report says. Supporters of the project say more traffic is simply the price Glendale pays for a thriving downtown. Opponents argue that price is too high. ``Cities in order to survive have to have economic development and have to generate sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenues,'' said James A. Kusher, a specialist in 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. at Southwestern University For other places with the same name, see Southwestern University (disambiguation). History Prior to its founding in Georgetown, charters had been granted by the Legislature (Texas Congress 1836-1845) to establish four earlier educational institutions: . ``It's all about trying to get that excess traffic, and that is the name of the game in California.'' To the average Glendale driver, however, added traffic means added frustration, said Arthur Sohikian, spokesman for the Glendale Galleria The Glendale Galleria is a large 3 story regional shopping mall located in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. It is the second largest mall in Los Angeles County. It is located in Downtown Glendale. , which opposes the new project. ``Currently, Glendale residents routinely wait two light cycles before they get through an intersection like Broadway and Brand,'' Sohikian said. ``So how long do you want to wait after a project goes in? Three, maybe four cycles to get through the intersection?'' Added traffic, along with plans to partially close Harvard and Orange streets, have emerged as key issues in the Sept. 14 referendum on the $264 million housing, dining and shopping complex. Akop Achemyan has not decided how he will cast his ballot, but in the seven years he has lived at Harvard and Jackson streets he has seen gridlock develop on nearby major arterial streets and traffic gradually increase on smaller streets. ``On the one hand, building the center would undoubtedly benefit the city,'' Achemyan said. ``But on the other hand, it will bring a lot of people to Glendale. ``I want them to build it, but I want them to do things to ease the traffic.'' Plans call for extensive work near affected intersections, including installing right-turn-only lanes and widening roads to significantly reduce traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. . Some intersections that are now heavily congested would be improved by the traffic measures implemented for the Americana project, according to the project's environmental report. At Central Avenue and Colorado Street, for example, both streets would be widened, a westbound lane would be added on Colorado, a westbound right-turn-only lane would be installed on Colorado and an existing eastbound east·bound adj. Going toward the east. eastbound Adjective going towards the east Adj. 1. right-turn-only lane on Colorado would allow through traffic as well. At Central Avenue and Broadway, a right-turn lane would be installed and the roadway would be widened, according to the environmental impact report. Plans also include adding a northbound north·bound adj. Going toward the north. northbound Adjective going towards the north Adj. 1. lane on Glendale Avenue at Broadway during evening peak hours peak hours npl, peak period n → horas fpl punta peak hours peak npl → heures fpl d'affluence or de pointe , as well as widening Glendale Avenue at Colorado Street to add an additional northbound right-turn-only lane. Separate from the $4 million traffic fixes aimed at the Americana at Brand, an overhaul of aging Brand Boulevard is set to start in January. That project is expected to improve overall traffic flow and to help reduce automobile backups. Work includes relocating bus stops and creating pullouts for cars and buses. Glendale Transportation and Parking Commissioner Ruby Sulayan said the city has been lax in remedying overall traffic circulation and is not ready to handle a project the size of the Americana. Combined with 13 downtown development projects already in the pipeline - including a hotel, a car dealership This article is about car dealerships. For the indie pop band, see Dealership (band). A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new cars and/or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or and an office tower all within a two-mile radius of the center - the Americana would have a disastrous effect on traffic throughout the city, he said. ``Traffic should be a priority before any of these projects are completed. When you know these intersections are bad, how could you create more negative impact without fixing this problem first?'' Sulayan asked. City Manager Jim Starbird, however, defended city plans for traffic generated by the Americana and other downtown projects. He pointed to overall good traffic planning as the remedy, including street design, public parking, connections to regional transportation and installing a downtown trolley. But some impacts can't be fully remedied, Starbird said, and residents and city leaders need to consider the trade-offs - do they want a vital downtown or not to generate traffic at all? ``If the streets are empty, your downtown is dying,'' Starbird said. But Sulayan argues that Americana at Brand is at the extreme end of what the city can do to aid the local economy. Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, map Photo: Glendale resident Akop Achemyan is concerned about increased traffic in his neighborhood if Americana at Brand is approved, but also feels the mall will help revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. the city. He hasn't decided how he will vote on the issue. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News Map: INTERSECTION IMPACTED BY WEEKEND MALL TRAFFIC SOURCE: Environmental Impact Report |
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