GLENDALE : Rejuvenation Sought for Neighborhoods

Adams Square, Tropico, High Line Road and a dozen other neighborhoods are all part of the puzzle that equals southern Glendale. But have they lost their identity as the city has grown and their unique houses and shops were razed to make way for apartment buildings?

A group of 48 people, consisting of many residents and merchants who live and work in all areas of the city south of Glenoaks Boulevard, plus a few city officials, is working to help the area counteract the effects of rapid population growth and development during the second half of the 1980s.

The Neighborhood Task Force, as it is called, was formed this year after a city study showed that 40,000 people had come into Glendale in the past decade--most moving into the city’s southern half--creating “a new city within the city,” said Madalyn Blake, community development director.

“What the data we collected shows is that there has been a tremendous impact as a result of the increase in population and density,” Blake said.

Increases in crime, deterioration of schools, overcrowded housing, traffic problems, scarcity of parks and unsightly development are among the problems facing neighborhoods once considered quaint, she said.

So far, the task force has concentrated on identifying the unique traits of different neighborhoods. The next step, Blake said, is a sort of empowerment program.

Many residents of southern Glendale are renters and apartment dwellers who feel less connected to city affairs and issues than the better-organized homeowners’ associations in the city’s northern part, Blake said.

The task force will meet Monday with representatives of organized neighborhood associations from Long Beach, San Diego and Portland, who will discuss ways to give residents more of a say in issues affecting their neighborhoods.

“It’s an educational process,” Blake said. “The outcome hopefully will be a set of tools that people will have to begin dealing with problems, be it a zoning issue or a traffic problem,” she said.