Agency OKs preliminary designs of condo towers

Not all on the Redevelopment Agency are thrilled with materials, size in new design.GLENDALE CITY HALL -- A divided Redevelopment Agency approved preliminary design plans Tuesday for twin 16-story condominium towers at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Orange Street in downtown Glendale.

The project, which would include 162 units on a nearly 1-acre lot at the current site of the Jo-Ann Fabrics store, would incorporate some of that building’s streamline-moderne features. It would offer amenities such as rooftop decks with a pool and spa, a recreation room and gym. An access bridge would connect the rooftop facilities on one tower with an emergency helipad atop the other.

Tuesday’s 3-to-2 vote clears the way for the second stage of design review, expected in February, project manager Alex Hamilton said. A third design review stage would follow at the agency level, after which the project would have to go before the Design Review Board and undergo environmental analysis by city staffers.

A planned 445-space parking structure, built into the first three floors of the project and two underground levels, is 60 spaces short of city code requirements and would also require a variance.

The design of the two buildings was a joint effort between GMP Architects of Santa Monica, various city departments and the Glendale Historical Society, said Pete Lauener, president of Intracorp, the project’s developer.

“We have worked hard to ensure this project is unique to the city, is acceptable to the consumer and compatible with the neighborhood,” Lauener said. “I think it achieves all of these things.”

Plans also call for 3,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, including a café, Don Gettman of GMP Architects said.

“Hopefully the café will play off the architectural theme of the building,” Gettman said, referring in part to the corner art deco pylon from the Jo-Ann’s Fabrics store that will be preserved and incorporated into the new building’s façade.

The project’s residential-commercial mix, which also includes five live-work studios in the lower levels, fits the city’s goal of revitalizing the downtown area, consultant Rodney V. Khan said.

“The property is centrally located in downtown and within walking distance of the Galleria, the proposed [Americana at Brand] town center, and other shops and businesses,” said Khan, who is helping Intracorp shepherd the plan through the city’s approval process.

“It will take people out of their vehicles and encourage them to walk.”

He noted that the towers would be 82 feet shorter than the office building across the Orange Street, and that as a primarily residential project it would generate less traffic than traditional office or commercial uses.

The designer’s efforts to incorporate the Jo-Ann Fabrics store’s design into the new towers is laudable, said Arlene Vidor, president of the Glendale Historical Society.