Glendale planners agree to condo units in downtown

The two top executives at Pacific BMW have changed their proposed 50-unit apartment complex across from the Americana at Brand to a condominium project to offer a different product among an abundance of apartment developments popping up in Glendale’s city center.

There are roughly 2,000 apartment units under construction — or just steps away from each other — in downtown Glendale, but condominiums have been mostly absent from the development boom. The Americana has had its own condominium units for years and a 26-unit mixed-use condominium complex called Jackson Glen about three blocks away from the glitzy outdoor mall opened earlier this year, but that’s it.

“We think there’s a market for for-sale condominiums,” said Rodney Khan, a consultant representing David Ho and Nick Lam, president and vice president of Pacific BMW. “People that are looking to buy, they really don’t have options in downtown.”

With the approval of the Planning Commission on Wednesday, the 21,900-square-foot site across from the new Nordstrom can be subdivided so Ho and Lam can sell the 50 units as condominiums with 84 parking spaces.

The City Council approved design plans for the five-story project, known as Colorado Gardens, in October — although there were some council members who disliked the height of the building. But because the developers were including 2,227 square feet of public space, a city incentive approved in 2006 allowed the extra density.

The project at 124 W. Colorado St. and 203 W. Elk Ave. has been called a harbinger for development south of the Americana at Brand as much of the new apartment complexes are spouting up north of the Americana.

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Follow Brittany Levine on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine.

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