GLENDALE : Theater in Proposed Mall OKd by Council
The Glendale City Council narrowly passed a measure Tuesday to allow the construction of a 2,400-seat multiplex theater in a new mall proposed on the site of the Glendale Fashion Center, despite a law confining new cinemas to Glendale’s downtown area.
The council voted 3-2 to allow Balcor Financial, which owns the near-dormant outdoor mall at Glendale Avenue and California Street, to discuss with city officials how it would replace a parking structure destroyed in the Northridge earthquake.
But the move also lets Balcor begin seeking the city’s approval of the entire mall project--which now calls for razing and rebuilding the entire block. It also exempts the developer from a “theater moratorium” enacted last year by the council.
“We have a moratorium in place and the theaters in this location conflict head-on with the purpose and intent of that moratorium,” said Councilman Sheldon Baker who, along with Councilwoman Mary Ann Plumley, cast the dissenting votes.
The Fashion Center was under different ownership when reconstruction plans, including conversion of the former Robinson’s department store to a gourmet supermarket and multiplex theater, were approved by the council in 1992. Its current owners inherited the approved development plans, but their decision to completely change the design will require a variance because the mall lies outside the city’s new theater district, City Atty. Scott Howard said.
Under Balcor’s new plans, the entire shopping center would be razed. A multistory building of retail shops and theaters would be built at Glendale Avenue and California Street, and a Pavilions supermarket would be at the opposite end of the block.
In between, a 2 1/2-story parking garage would encompass much of the block. The new center would have about 300,000-square-feet of retail space and considerably more parking than the previous plan, said Greg Kahwajian, a consultant to the developer.
Kahwajian said business interest in the center is strong, and among the retailers that have inquired about the mall are the Good Guys, Tower Records, Barnes & Noble books and Blockbuster Music.
