Owner offers a concession

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — The developer of a controversial two-story home proposed for a hill on at the end of Hazbeth Lane has suggested a change she hopes will get some dissenting neighbors to support the project.

Property owner Adel Luzuriaga has owned the property for about 20 years and is looking to build her dream home at the top of the hill at the end of Hazbeth.

But the proposed home, with 4,883 square feet of living area, combined with a four-car garage and patios to total 7,100 square feet, has many neighbors on the quiet street concerned.

Among the concerns was a 1,100-foot-long driveway — which some neighbors say looks like a road — which would run along a hillside adjacent to Hazbeth Lane.

At present, the end of Hazbeth contains a private driveway for three homeowners, which dead-ends into a large, open space.

The driveway is presently sandwiched between a hill and their homes.

In Luzuriaga’s original plans, her separate driveway would run on the hill above the private driveway, separated by a fence.

Neighbors did not think the new driveway, or road, would fit into the neighborhood.

Now, she is proposing to build her driveway as an extension to the existing private driveway, widening it significantly.

“My road was parallel but higher than [their driveway with a wall in between,” she said.

“Now it will make it bigger.”

While this may be a more appealing plan to some neighbors, concerns linger.

“We were trying to push her in that direction for a while and not have a separate road there if it’s not necessary,” neighbor Kurt Kirch said. “[Her gesture] is heading the right direction, but the devil is in the details on how it is actually done.”

Kirch said he needs to look closer at the plans to see what the driveway will look like.

But the major concern raised by Kirch and other neighbors surrounds the 14,400 cubic yards of dirt that must be removed from the hillside, which some expect will involve heavy truck traffic.

In addition, some neighbors don’t want to see the hillside removed.

“[The new driveway plan] makes absolutely no difference to me because I don’t want to see the open space destroyed,” said neighbor Anthony Czarnecki, who said he has offered to buy the property from Luzuriaga and keep it as open space.

“I don’t want to see the hilltop chopped off.”

But Luzuriaga has noted that she has waited a long time without placing anything on the property, and said that her design will not be as dramatic as what some imagine.

“I will be happy when the neighbors really see that this will enhance their property and the neighborhood,” she said of her home.

Longtime Glendale resident Fred Wade said he has seen a lot of development go up in the area and doesn’t feel the impact of the home will be that severe.

“The development of the hills is something that is continuous in California,” he said.

“She’s owned the property for 20 years and she has a site that she should be allowed to develop. As long as it’s developed with proper engineering, I don’t see a problem.”

Zoning Administrator Edith Fuentes will likely make a decision on whether the project should move forward.