City Council approves changes to house to be built on Los Encinos Avenue
A home on Los Encinos Avenue in the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood in Glendale will be demolished and replaced by a house that will be three times larger than the original, following the Glendale City Council’s approval of changes to the project after some residents raised concerns.
Council members supported a request by applicant and project architect Hamlet Zohrabians to tear down a one-story, 948-square-foot, single-family home with a detached two-car garage at 1849 Los Encinos Ave.
It will be replaced by a two-story, 3,264-square-foot, single-family home with an attached two-car garage on the 10,140-square-foot lot.
City Council voted 5-0 to approve the modified changes to the house.
“The height of the overall structure is the key issue,” resident Meiling Pope said during the meeting.
Pope and her supporters wore green T-shirts to the meeting. Pope and Jerome Gross, who lives near the proposed home, filed an appeal against the project with 16 other co-appellants who live along Los Encinos Avenue as well as nearby Alpha Road and Mira Vista Drive.
More than 900 supporters have signed an online petition on Change.org to leave the house in its current state.
In her presentation, Pope argued that the proposed project’s size, mass and scale are incompatible with the neighborhood.
In the appeal, Pope argued that members of the Design Review Board, who approved the project earlier this year, failed to adhere to portions of the Glendale Municipal Code in making their decision and that the house is not compatible with the neighborhood.
The new larger house could also threaten an indigenous oak tree as well as cut down on available sunlight and airflow, Pope said.
Tony Mederos lives half a block away from 1849 Los Encionos Avenue and supports the neighbors in protesting the new house.
“You’re trying to put a whole pound into a 16-ounce bag,” Mederos told City Council.
During the meeting on Tuesday, several modifications to the home’s original design were approved, including lowering the home’s overall height, moving a recommended bedroom from above the garage to the second floor and eliminating second-floor balconies.
Moving forward, an indigenous tree permit must be acquired and the property owner must follow all measures enforced by the city’s urban forestry section.
Also, a natural color palette must be selected that complements the overall building design.
michael.livingston@latimes.com
