GLENDALE : Parking Structure Reopens at Galleria

More than 400 black and yellow top hats were thrown into the air at the Glendale Galleria Tuesday morning as mall employees, city officials and business representatives celebrated the official reopening of a 1,500-space parking structure damaged by the Northridge earthquake.

Nearly 11 months after it was heavily damaged by the quake, the parking structure at the north end of the mall and adjacent to the Broadway department store, will provide space for the holiday shopping rush.

The temporary loss of the structure, along with other damaged parking facilities, caused a shortage of about 2,000 parking slots, mall officials said.

Marketing director Mellisa Beissner said the mall welcomes the restored space because of the success the Galleria has had, despite the inconvenience.

“Our sales are currently trending at a 15% increase over last year during the same quarter,” she said. “We anticipate an extremely busy holiday season . . . and are glad to be able to accommodate our customers.”

Razed in August, the structure’s road to recovery required the use of 33,000 tons of concrete, 260 miles of steel beams, 135 workers operating on a fast-track construction schedule and $12 million, partially funded by the city.

Funds were provided by the Glendale Associates Limited Partnership, which consists of the city’s redevelopment agency, developer Donahue Shriber and The Broadway, J. C. Penney & Robinsons-May department stores, all owners of that section of the mall.

With help from the city, the partnership acquired a low-interest federal loan to pay a $4.5-million insurance deductible on the structure.

While the structure was being rebuilt, mall shoppers parked in newly created lots across the street on Central Avenue or were shuttled in every 15 minutes from the Los Angeles Zoo.

According to Beissner, about 145,000 people have opted for the shuttle since the service began a month after the earthquake.

“We plan on continuing to utilize the new parking lots, as well as the shuttle service, on weekends,” Beissner said. “People have gotten accustomed to (the shuttles) and enjoy using them.”