Working ahead of the curve

A new well-known museum, a complete revamp of a drab city block, a pedestrian walkway that opens onto changing retail landscape — the Brand Boulevard corridor, or at least two blocks of it, could soon be a whole lot different from what it is now.

And no, Rick Caruso is not paying for it.

Plans to redevelop the 200 block of Brand into a series of more modern and inviting storefronts alongside a new space for the Museum of Neon Art will surely bring more bustle to an area that will also see a lot of construction on the other side of the street when Caruso demolishes the Golden Key Hotel to expand his Americana at Brand.

Taken together with a pedestrian walkway into the central park area and to the Central Library, these are the sort of changes that need to be forged ahead with to keep downtown from getting sidelined by the recession.

As other cities entrench themselves and shelve long-planned projects, more proactive cities like Glendale will come out of the tailspin ahead of the curve. And will have taken advantage of a more competitive construction market while they could.