Glendale extends development deadline

As a state-mandated deadline nears to develop a 1.56-acre city-owned site in the Grandview neighborhood, the Glendale City Council granted a five-year extension to use the land on Tuesday, a move permitted by state law.

Development of the land, which was purchased in October 2007 with $6 million in property taxes set aside for affordable housing by state law, has hit several snags. The property value has dropped by $400,000 and officials shot down a development proposal for senior and veteran housing in 2010 when they discovered that a member of a city commission had asked for an exclusive agreement to work on the project.

City Council members had tossed around the idea of turning the area into a park, but that would require replenishing the set-aside funds marked for affordable housing with city money, a financial burden that can’t be met.

Council members said that although they approved the five-year extension, they wanted the site to be developed sooner, rather than later.

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-- Brittany Levine, Times Community News

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