Artsakh Avenue named in honor of city’s Armenian community

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Permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan, left, and Glendale city council members and unveil new street sign name during ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. All five members of the city councilmembers were present, including mayor Zareh Sinanyan, second from left, Ara Najarian, center, Vartan Gharpetian, second from right and Paula Devine, right. Councilmember Vrej Agajanian was off to the left, out of frame. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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State Senator Anthony Portantino spoke about visiting the country of Artsakh before the unveiling of the new street name at ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Amongst the crowds were interim fire dept. chiefs Silvio Lanzas, left, Bill Lynch, center, and police chief Carl Povilaitis, right, for ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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New sign showing name change of the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Passersby wait for signal to change from the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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This section of Maryland Ave. is now known as Artsakh Ave., after ceremony to unveil name change on the 100 north and south block of former Maryland Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan spoke before the unveiling of a new street sign during ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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State senator Anthony Portantino places rocks on street center divider that he brought back from Artasakh after ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The rocks came from a fox hole he visited a few weeks ago where soldiers stand every day at the border of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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State senator Anthony Portantino placed rocks on street center divider in the shape of a cross that he brought back from Artasakh after ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The rocks came from a fox hole he visited a few weeks ago where soldiers stand every day at the border of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan, and Glendale city council members and unveil3e new street sign name during ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. All five members of the city councilmembers were present, including Vrej Agajanian, left, mayor Zareh Sinanyan, second from left, Ara Najarian, rear center, Vartan Gharpetian, second from right and Paula Devine, right. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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From left are Glendale city councilmember Vrej Agajanian, left, Vartan Gharpetian, second from left, permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan, third from left, Glendale mayor Zareh Sinanyan, center, Ara Najarian, third from right, Paula Devine, second from right, and state senator Anthony Portantino, right, during ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Members of the Glendale-based Unified Young Armenians were at hand for ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan at ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

By Lila Seidman

Staff Writer

Oct. 2, 2018 8:45 PM PT

A sign for Artsakh Avenue — formerly a stretch of Maryland Avenue — was unveiled Tuesday morning during a street naming ceremony hosted by the city of Glendale.

The event drew officials from near and far: All five Glendale City Council members were present, in addition to state Sen. Anthony Portantino and Robert Avetisyan, a U.S. representative for Artsakh, which is a contested republic between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In June, the City Council voted 4-0 to rename a two-block section of Maryland Avenue, between Wilson Avenue and Harvard Street, to Artsakh Avenue.

During the decision-making process, Councilman Ara Najarian said it was overdue to have a street referencing the city’s large Armenian-American community.

Approval of the name change followed months of heated debate between stakeholders including business owners, Glendale residents and Unified Young Armenians, a group of activists who proposed the name change in February.

To address business owners’ concerns that the name change will adversely affect them, the city set aside $1,000 for each of the 131 businesses on the two-block portion of the street to help cover costs of reprinting materials with new addresses.

Businesses can apply for the money as a grant.

lila.seidman@latimes.com

Twitter: @lila_seidman