Downtown Glendale road work will pay off in the long term

The Downtown Glendale Assn. has tremendous sympathy for the merchants quoted in your article regarding the construction in the area. Their frustration over the downtown district’s progress is understandable.

Nothing great, however, is ever achieved without a cost. And we are building a great Downtown Glendale. We admire the city’s investment and commitment and understand that it is moving as rapidly as possible.

These infrastructure changes are necessary in order to create the thriving business, commercial and residential area that will set Glendale apart from other cities. Much of the construction underway is necessary because housing is being built downtown. That’s a great problem to have. Soon, customers of these merchants will be moving into the apartments and condominiums.

Over the next few years, Glendale’s downtown will be a mix of housing, restaurants, shops and office buildings that will be the envy of Southern California. It will become both a self-contained, sustainable area in which one can live without relying on a car, as well as a great destination for local residents and visitors who can come to one location to dine, shop and be entertained.

While we sympathize with business owners who are undergoing this short-term pain, we urge everyone to look at the long-term picture for the city we are becoming.

Rick Lemmo
Los Angeles

Editor’s Note: The writer is senior vice president of Caruso Affiliated.