Glendale sues owners for allegedly razing 1908 home without a permit
The city of Glendale sued two Glendale residents this week, alleging they failed to obtain permits before demolishing their potentially historic home and for related building safety code violations.
Asst. City Atty. Yvette Neukian filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Aroutin Behzad and Arpi Azarian Namagerd, owners of the one-story, northwest Glendale home that up until last weekend sat at 1420 Valley View Road.
The two are facing three misdemeanor counts for demolishing their home without city permits as well as two additional misdemeanor counts related to previous demolition and a faulty weather protection violation, the complaint states.
On Feb. 4, 2016, the owner’s request for a permit to demolish was rejected by Phil Lanzafame, director of community development, because it contained an insufficient environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act guidelines.
The home was a Craftsman-style home built in 1908, and a 2015 assessment filed by the owners touts its potential as a historic resource on the Glendale register. A second evaluation, also submitted by Behzad, concluded the home could not contribute to a historic district.
However, the city’s historic preservation planner found the second evaluation was flawed and agreed with the 2015 assessment “that the property appears to be a historic resource,” according to city documents.
In May 2016, the city sent investigators to the site and found that nonpermitted demolition of the interior of the home was made and a portion or the entire house was left without a roof, according to City Atty. Michael Garcia.
No legal action was taken against the homeowners at that time because, Garcia said, the city attempted to bring Behzad and Namagerd into compliance.
“We allowed them … materials to make sure there was no weather damage while [Behzad] was trying to get permits to demolish [the home],” Garcia said. “Now that he demolished it without complying, we are adding those [violations] as well.”
An appeal was filed around the time of the incident, but the City Council sustained the permit rejection in November 2016 and requested an Environmental Impact Report be prepared on the home.
However, it’s suspected the home was completely demolished on or around the weekend of Feb. 10, and the location is now an empty lot.
“We want to make sure property owners comply with our building and demolition codes,” Garcia said. “There’s no doubt that these property owners knew that they had to get the permits because they were in the process … We have to bring this case to deter other property owners from trying to do [the same],” he added.
The defendants are scheduled to appear at the Glendale Courthouse on March 6. They face fines up to $1,000 for each misdemeanor or up to six months of imprisonment, or a combination of both, according to city code.
Twitter: @JeffLanda
