GLENDALE : Plan Is Unveiled to Revitalize Downtown

Downtown Glendale could be revamped with new retail shopping areas, a civic auditorium, a public park and even an outdoor amphitheater if the city implements all or part of a multifaceted “strategic plan” for future development.

The first concrete images of how Brand Boulevard and the rest of the downtown might evolve were unveiled Wednesday night at a meeting attended by about 100 residents, business people and city officials. Proponents of the plan say it will be a planning tool to help revitalize Glendale over the next 10 to 15 years, but still leaves the city with options for the future.

“This plan is not a block-by-block blueprint for what should happen with each piece of property. It’s not that specific,” said Alex Cooper, a New York architect and urban planner who has been coordinating the study since its inception last year.

Cooper displayed a series of maps and drawings that showed specific improvements he envisions for the central business district and outlying neighborhoods. He said these “options” are now being weighed by a city-appointed committee for inclusion in the final strategic plan, which will be presented to the City Council for approval in the near future.

The proposals include:

* A major public/private “town center” in the area bounded by Central Avenue and Colorado, Harvard and Louise streets. This could incorporate the existing Central Library with a new civic auditorium, a public park and/or “gathering area” and new retail developments along the west side of Brand and Colorado.

* Expansion of the Glendale Galleria onto Brand, with a pedestrian-friendly entrance between Broadway and Harvard. A 200- to 300-room “urban hotel” or low-rise office building would also be ideal in this area, Cooper said.

* Decreasing traffic on Brand by as much as 30%.

* The creation of new neighborhood parks in residential areas of the greater downtown.

Some people who attended the forum were cautiously optimistic, although there was concern the plan may be too far-reaching. “I can’t honestly say I was pleased with all they were saying, although I do think Glendale needs to be upgraded a little bit,” Bette Ackerman, 59, who lives in the Adams Hill area, said after the meeting.

Bill Holderness, a longtime Glendale businessman and a principal developer of The Exchange shopping center, called the plan a “wish list.” He said the most pressing need is for parking structures.