CENTER OKD FOR NEXT STEP
By Robert S. Hong
Glendale News Press, CA
May 9 2007
Church members and members of Armenian Cultural Society pledge that
they’ll get along.
CITY HALL – After being displaced in 2003, the Armenian Society of Los
Angeles can move forward with plans to build its new cultural center
after the Glendale Redevelopment Agency’s unanimous vote Tuesday to
approve an environmental study and parking exception for the project.
The society has been without a permanent home since agreeing to vacate
its building on Brand Boulevard in exchange for another property
and $5 million from the city to help make way for the Americana at
Brand project.
After being given a lot adjacent to the Glendale Presbyterian church
on Louise Street, questions have arisen about how the influx of new
visitors and traffic would impact the area.
Members from both sides addressed the issues at Tuesday’s meeting.
At present, the society will be assigned 256 spaces in the Glendale
Marketplace parking lot, along with 14 spaces on site.
But some parishioners felt it was possible that more people would
park on-site than was allotted.
"We believe there are people that would understandingly want to park
[on-site] rather than go to highest level of Maryland [Avenue] garage,"
the Rev. Ken Baker said.
Others didn’t feel parking would be a problem, since the garage opened
up a lot of space for visitors.
"With parking, I don’t see a problem at all because the parking that
we have been promised is behind us so the traffic would be behind us,"
said Vaughn Gregor, chairman of trustees for the society.
Another issue some raised was the long hours the center would be open.
The center’s cafe could potentially be open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on
weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends. But Albert Abkarian,
the society’s attorney, said that was the maximum time the cafe could
be open and not a typical scenario.
Normally, the facility would be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., he said.
The agency was set to vote on the 26,000-square-foot project on March
27, but its members voted unanimously to hold off on a decision to a
later date, giving city officials a chance to review the environmental
impact study and other documents as well as allow the two soon-to-be
neighbors to discuss things.
Some were upset with the city for creating a situation that they said
is causing a rift between the two organizations.
"Overall, redevelopment money was supposed to be used to improve
the quality of life and community relations in a city. I don’t think
that’s the way it’s going," Glendale resident Margaret Hammond said.
"Instead of that, two community groups have become adversaries."
Though they have some conflicting interests, members from both groups
seemed to understand that it was a difficult position for both sides
and hoped things would be worked out.
"I see no problem in the future getting along with our neighbors,"
Gregor said.
The Rev. Craig Hall spoke along similar lines.
"Neither of us asked to be in this situation," he said. "We are trying
to work things out together for the common good."
Councilman Frank Quintero noted that the society deserved to finally
move forward with their center.
"It’s time to finish this, have the building built, and let them get
back to enjoying their association, and I think Glendale will be the
better for it," he said.
QUESTION
What do you think of the Redevelopment Agency’s decision allowing
the Armenian Society of Los Angeles to move forward with plans to
build on Louise Street? E-mail [email protected] or write to News-Press
Community Forum, 221 N. Brand Blvd., 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91203.
Please include your name and tell us your hometown and phone number
for verification purposes only.