Glendale’s Purchase of Lot Near the Freeway

Mr. Sal Gangi is to be congratulated. He is the only real estate seller that has been able to sell a useless vacant lot for top dollar in this depressed real estate market (Times, Aug. 13).

The buyers--you taxpayers--were represented by politicians--your City Council--instead of by a real estate broker. A real estate broker might have lost his license had he been involved in this deal.

Recent history of this lot will reveal that it was nearly taken in trade by the city before the residents woke up and killed the deal. At that time, the lot was classified as useless and would have been used as a useless mini-park had it been taken in trade. The deal was reluctantly turned down by (the) council after considerable pressure from the residents.

(Carl) Raggio, (Larry) Zarian and (Ginger) Bremberg were on the council while all of this was happening in June, 1988. If this vacant lot was useless then, what makes it so important now? Certainly not because of a traffic problem. A private survey taken Sept. 1 between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.--the peak traffic time--counted 12 cars making a right turn from Monterey onto the freeway. Did the city actually take a traffic count? If so, what was it? Obviously, a car making a right turn every 2 1/2 minutes is not a traffic problem.

Investing $392,000 plus improvements and removing more property from the tax rolls deserves more of an explanation to the taxpayers.

AL HOFFMAN

Glendale