Glendale City Council sides with residents, votes for new Verdugo Park plan
Glendale City Council agreed with local residents Tuesday regarding their concerns about an overhaul of Verdugo Park and requested a new, simplified design.
Officials with the city’s Community Services and Parks Department presented a motion to the council to either approve one of three already-developed concept designs or use residents’ feedback to create a hybrid plan.
After public comments, which largely echoed each other in objecting to adding amenities to the park, council members decided to reject all three designs and favored a hybrid that preserved as much greenery as possible.
Onnig Bulanikian, director of community services and parks, said the council’s decision not to select one of the three designs will not delay the process because council members gave staff members a clear direction on how to move forward.
He said he hopes to present new design documents for the council’s consideration next week.
“I think this is a time when we need to listen to the residents,” said Councilwoman Paula Devine. “Verdugo Park is known for its beauty, its tranquility, its trees, its greenery. I, too, am on the side of those who don’t want to destroy that green open space with more concrete. We want to maintain the integrity of the park.”
Department officials originally proposed between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet of community space that could have been rented out and a granite pathway that would go through the park with an attached turnaround.
They also proposed building a historic village and installing outdoor exercise equipment.
After listening to residents’ concerns during two community meetings in June 2017 and March 2018, staff members scaled back the project, proposing a smaller community room.
Members of the Glendale Parks, Recreation and Services Commission shared many of the same concerns expressed by the residents.
Council members heard from an additional 15 residents during the meeting on Tuesday as well as the staff’s recommendation.
“I moved to my current house because I love Verdugo Park,” one resident said. “I love walking by there and seeing it as a magnet for the city. I can see what attracts people is the open space to the north because people vote with their feet.”
Several public commenters said they opposed the existing plans because they would require removing trees.
“Why do we need to add more amenities? The public is happy with the park as it is,” another resident said. “What is driving this change?”
Mayor Zareh Sinanyan had the same question for Bulanikian, to which he responded that the project was developed out of a need to update the restrooms.
Council members decided it was not necessary to add so many amenities and rejected the staff’s already simplified designs.
They requested a hybrid plan with minimal changes to the park, including replacement of picnic tables and adding some that are ADA compliant, updating the restrooms and adding between 1,500 and 1,800 square feet of community room space, including the restrooms.
As per the public’s recommendations, the council also suggested leaving the roads in the park as they are and adding a limited number of ADA-accessible parking spaces.
The council opposed adding a turnaround, granite pathway and a historic village, and discussed reconsidering the design of the Shane’s Inspiration park, an all-inclusive playground.
Bulanikian said the new playground will be lower to the ground and have more amenities, but it’s unclear if it will be by Shane’s Inspiration.
“We’re happy with the council’s decision,” Bulanikian said. “We listened to the community, the council listened to the community and, moving forward, we’ll work on the construction documents and see that the project does finish by early 2020, hopefully earlier.”
After considering the council’s recommendations, the project is expected to cost between $400,000 and $500,000 less than the original plans, which were estimated to cost up to $3.8 million.
alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com
Twitter: @r_valejandra
