Shakey’s site doesn’t pass design review

CITY HALL — The Glendale Design Review Board shot down a developer’s design proposal Thursday for a new restaurant on Foothill Boulevard, echoing protests from residents who said the project is better suited for the Las Vegas strip.

The owner of 3463 Foothill Blvd., the former site of Shakey’s Pizza, wants to remodel the building’s façade and insert Urartu, an “old-world, Mediterranean-themed restaurant,” said Janelle Williams, a land-use consultant representing the proposed project.

“First and foremost, we think it’s a beautiful design,” Williams said.

While the property is in the Glendale portion of La Crescenta, people who live half a mile down the road in unincorporated La Crescenta say the project would clash with their vision for Foothill Boulevard.

“We are very delighted to have a new restaurant come in, however we are very concerned about the design of this building,” said Eleanor Wacker, a Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce board member. “It really does not fit in.”

The board agreed with Wacker and three others who opposed the design, and voted 2-1 to continue the public hearing next month, when the applicant will have an opportunity to submit new plans.

The proposed project may have flown under the radar of La Crescenta activists had it been proposed 10 years ago, but these days, Foothill Boulevard is at the forefront of that community’s political agenda, said Mike Lawler, president of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

“It’s the wrong time and wrong place for that project,” Lawler said.

The Crescenta Valley Town Council’s Foothill Design Committee is close to finalizing a new set of design standards for Foothill Boulevard in unincorporated La Crescenta, between Pennsylvania and Briggs avenues.

The current draft of the proposed standards places emphasis on pedestrian-friendly features and landscaping, committee co-chairman Richard Toyon said.

And even though the standards still need county approval, stakeholders in the project hope the city of Glendale will honor their plan for the area — even though the rules won’t apply there.

That plea did not resonate with board chairman Vartan Gharpetian, who cast the lone vote against continuing the hearing.

“What La Crescenta does is different than what the county does, is different than what Glendale does, is different than what Tujunga does, the city of Los Angeles,” Gharpetian said. “I’m not saying this design is the best design in the whole world. What I’m saying is this is a restaurant. It has a theme. It has to go with their theme inside and outside.”

The current building, which has been vacant for about a year and a half, would better serve the community with a new tenant, Gharpetian said.

But the fact that Urartu could struggle, go out of business and leave its architecture behind was enough to persuade other board members to wait for an acceptable design.

“If the restaurant fails and it’s a themed restaurant, somebody buys the building, they put in a little shopping center … you’re stuck with this forever,” board member Giuseppe Aliano said. “I just completely disagree with what’s happening here. I don’t feel good about this project.”

The hearing is slated to continue Aug. 16.

QUESTION

What type of business would you like to see move in at the former Shakey’s Pizza site? E-mail gnp@latimes.com or write to News-Press Community Forum, 221 N. Brand Blvd., 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name and hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.