Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association

Glendale, California

Official Web Site

The goal of the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association is to protect and enhance the quality of life in Northwest Glendale, California. The borders of our association are Glenoaks Boulevard on the south, Brand Boulevard on the east, the Verdugo Mountains on the north and the Glendale-Burbank city limits on the west. It is the largest homeowners association in Glendale. Homeowners in this area are welcome to join the Association. If you live outside the area, you may join as an associate members. To join the NWGHA, click here.

History

The NWGHA was established in 1989 as an association of homeowners to control the spread of "mansionization" of homes in the city, particularly in northwest Glendale with its large lots. Mansionized homes are remodels of existing homes or new homes built after the original house on a lot has been demolished that are so large that they are out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood. Frequently, the architecture of these homes is out of character with the other homes in the neighborhood.

The NWGHA successfully pushed the enactment of a zoning ordinance that limits the floor-area ratio of new and remodeled homes and the establishment of a design review ordinance with two design review boards to require that the design of new and remodeled structures in the city be compatible with the existing neighborhood and good design standards.

To ensure the integrity of the enforcement of these ordinances, NWGHA board members regularly attend the bi-weekly meetings of the design review boards and monitor requests for zoning variances. When neighbors of a proposed construction project object to its proposed design or variances, the NWGHA intervenes by writing letters or attending hearings, with the intent that the ordinances be enforced.

Current Homeowner Issues

• Cell Phone Towers. Certain phone companies are attempting to place cell phone towers and underground vaults in the middle of our neighborhoods.  The association is working with Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers (GOACT) to draft, and have the City Council enact, an ordinance providing for an open and transparent process that providers must submit to in order to site their towers and to impose tough rules requiring providers to place such towers in the least intrusive location.  GOACT's website is www.getthecelloutof here.com.

• DRB Process and Enforcement of Design Review Standards. The City has made great strides in toughening design review standards, mainly by providing that a project must be compatible with the neighborhood, even if the zoning code would otherwise allow a larger project. Sometimes, however, large projects that are incompatible with the neighborhood are still approved on the basis that the zoning code allows that size. The Association continues to press the DRB's to enforce the compatibility requirement and is engaged in helping develop a revised DRB process to ensure that such design rules are enforced.  Here are our Design Guidelines.

• Code Enforcement. The City continues to lag in effectively and timely enforcing code and design regulations.  The NWGHA continues to engage the various city departments in beefing up enforcement, even in troubling financial times.

• Historical Districting. The Association promotes historic districts throughout city, particular in northwest Glendale. The Ard Eevin Highlands Historic District in northwest Glendale, the Cottage Grove Historic District in the Adams Hill Area and the Royal Boulevard Historic District have been created.

• Enforcement of Fence Ordinance. A long time signature issue for the Association.  Glendale ordinances generally prohibit fences and walls in the front set back, greatly contributing the quality of the streetscape in the City. Fences may be built in certain horse overlays zones, but even such fences must still be approved by the Design Review Board. Glendale recently began enforcing the fence ordinance after a "moratorium," and the Association monitors compliance with the ordinance.

See the results of our 2006 membership survey here.

Officers and Board of Directors