Glendale school officials plan for property exchange

Glendale school officials are looking into swapping a training facility on Central Avenue for a nearby apartment complex, a move that may bring in cash to the district.

In March of 2013, a Burbank-based developer, Chandler Pratt & Partners, approached the Glendale Unified officials with interest in the building on 319 N. Central Ave.

The City Council approved design plans for a mixed-use proposal on the site earlier this month. The $16.5 million project would consist of 1,987 square feet of ground-level commercial space and 94 residential units.

It was designed to pair with 301 N. Central Ave., an 84-unit unanimously approved by the council last year.

Citing a need to maintain a professional development center, school officials said they would entertain an offer to do a property exchange, according to Eva Lueck, chief business and financial officer for the district.

Any cash that the district retains in the sale could be used toward building a new professional development center or put toward something else entirely, she said.

Lueck said the property at 316 W. Palmer Ave., currently consisting of a 16-unit apartment, is attractive to Glendale Unified.

“We’ve looked at many properties. This is one that really does seem to fit our needs,” she said.

The property is similar in size to the Central Avenue property they currently occupy and it sits adjacent to the district’s facility building.

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