Glendale Picks Developer for Center

In a 4-0 vote Tueday, the Glendale City Council chose Rick Caruso to build the city’s long-stalled Town Center project--a 13-acre outdoor urban neighborhood featuring offices, restaurants and retail stores.

Caruso, who beat out veteran Los Angeles-based developer Jerry Snyder, takes over a project that has been on the drawing board for 15 years but was never built because of changes in the design plan and developers. City officials hope it will boost business at existing downtown retail areas, including the Marketplace, the Exchange and the Glendale Galleria.

The City Council, acting as the city redevelopment agency board, liked the balance Caruso struck between a central community gathering place and a mix of retail space that incorporated national chains with smaller local retailers, said Glendale Redevelopment Director Jeanne Armstrong .

“We were impressed with the way he was able to combine large and small retail within his projects,” Armstrong said. She said the next step is for the city to work out details of the deal with Caruso. Officials must also decide whether the development will include movie theaters and a hotel.