Northwest
Glendale Homeowners Association
Largest
Neighborhood Association in Glendale
Spring
2003 Volume 13 #1
Spring
2003 Table of Contents:
City
Council to Consider Historic Districting April 8
Creating an "HD"
Overlay
President's
Newsletter-- Getting it Right the First Time
NWGHA
Hosts 2003 City Council Candidates Forum
Kenneth
Village Spotlight--“Big Dig” at Kenneth Village Continues
Please Renew Delinquent
Memberships
City
Council to Consider Historic Districting Ordinance on April 8
By Douglas Johnson
The drive for Historic Districting is scheduled for City Council
consideration on April 8.
This
is an important step in our own Cumberland Heights area’s
long effort to create an overlay zone for a historic district,
and we encourage all Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association
Members to come out and share their thoughts at this meeting.
The
Council will meet in regular session at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, April
8, at the Glendale Municipal Services Building, 633 E. Broadway.
Much
Work to Date
The
Glendale Historical Society, the Cumberland Heights Historical
Districting Committee and many NWGHA members have worked for many
months to research historic district communities and rules in
neighboring cities and promote the idea here. The City’s
Planning Division drafted the new ordinance that Council will
consider. Juliet Arroyo of that division has spearheaded the effort.
The
new ordinance was considered and unanimously endorsed by the City’s
Historic Preservation Commission on March 3 and the City Planning
Commission on March 10. The Historic Preservation Commission heard
updates on the process on March 24.
NWGHA
has worked closely with the Cumberland Heights Historical Districting
Committee. Your NWGHA board, our many members in the Historical
Society, and the Cumberland Heights neighborhood residents have
given strong support to this effort.
Special Design Review Bd.
The
ordinance provides that once a historic district is created, projects
in the district will be overseen by a new historic Review Board.
Members of this board will be required to have “interest,
competence and knowledge” of historic preservation.
In
a welcome change, this ordinance will close, by ordinance, a number
of exemptions currently existing in the City’s current DRB
process: any addition or alteration, regardless of size, visible
from the public right of way, will be covered.
The
Council meeting on April 8 is a key step, but it may not be the
last step. Council may direct amendments to the proposed ordinance
and may direct staff to examine other matters.
Process Established
Once
enacted, the ordinance will create a process for historic district
creation. (See text box to the right.)
Having
a viable, workable process is a vital step that the Cumberland
Heights supporters have long sought. The group will follow that
process to establish the Cumberland Heights Historic District.
Historic Design Guidelines
Each Historic District will have its own historic design guidelines
tailored to their neighborhood. These guidelines will for the
most part be in addition to existing design review guidelines.
Each neighborhood considering Historic District status will be
allowed to develop their own appropriate design guidelines, including
potentially different requirements for ‘contributing’
historic houses and ‘non-contributing’ houses located
in the district.
The Historic District Design Review Board will base its reviews
on these guidelines.
In Cumberland Heights, the organizers of that effort propose that
replacements or alterations to house additions, windows, doors,
siding, trim, chimneys, or roofs would be covered.
Proposed
Cumberland Heights design review guidelines would not impose additional
requirements with respect to house color, landscaping, screens,
awnings, driveways, walkways, exterior lighting fixtures and,
of course, any interior alterations.
Transparency
NWGHA
has worked hard throughout this process both in support of the
Historic Districting cause and to ensure that each homeowner in
a proposed Historic District is fully informed of the process
and its potential impact and benefits.
We have emphasized that the draft design guidelines be readily
available to residents in a proposed district. The proposed procedures
include this.
We believe this will ensure that every homeowner is fully informed
as the process moves forward, and will aid the historic district
effort by making it easier to collect the necessary signatures
to begin the historic districting process.
Additional Information
For
additional information, please visit www.glendalehistorical.org
and click on the “Historic Districting” link.
Creating an “HD”
Overlay
Here’s what the new ordinance says
to do to create a historic district.
The proposed historic districting ordinance would amend a number of
sections in Glendale’s zoning code. It builds on existing procedures
for establishing an overlay zone (such as for setbacks or parking districts),
tailored for creating what will be legally a “Historic District
(HD) Overlay Zone.” The process laid out by the proposed ordinance:
1. An interested group can request
the City Planning Director to consider a neighborhood for an HD overlay
zone. This request must include proposed zone boundaries and draft design
guidelines.
2. The Planning Director will direct the Historic Preservation Commission
(HPC) to consider the historic nature of the neighborhood. If the HPC’s
inquiry finds historic value, it will authorize circulation of the petition
to create the HD overlay zone in accordance with procedures to be established.
Design guidelines will be attached
to the petition.
3. Supporters must gather supportive signatures of homeowners representing
at least 50 percent of the frontage area in the proposed zone.
4. If sufficient
signatures are collected, signs will be posted in the
proposed district, homeowners in the proposed district and within 300
feet will be notified by postcard and notices will be published in the
News-Press. The Planning Division will prepare a detailed report on
the zone and proposed design guidelines.
5. The HPC and Planning Commission will hold a series
of public hearings and outreach programs on the zone and design guidelines
and forward recommendations to the City Council.
6. The City Council will consider the HD overlay zone
and guidelines. As with all zoning changes, creation of the historic
overlay zone will require approval by 4 of 5 Council members.
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President's
Newsletter--
Get it Right the First Time
By Peter Fuad
NWGHA President
Council is to hold a hearing on the proposed historical
districting ordinance at its April 8 regular meeting.
As we have stated previously, the NWGHA board
supports the idea of historical districting and, in particular, the proposed
Cumberland Heights Historical District bounded by Kenneth, Grandview, Highland
and the foothills. We believe it will enhance property values while helping
maintain the character of the neighborhood.
Your board has closely review the proposed ordinance
to be examined by Council.
Our comments on the proposed ordinance have been
guided by two principles:
Homeowners should know what a zone would mean
to them. We don’t mean this negatively, but rather homeowners should make
an informed decision on whether they want their home in a district. It will
be far better if they know the implications and approve, rather than if they
don’t understand when they approve.
Which leads to the next principle. If we don’t
get it right when a district is created, there may be a tremendous backlash
from residents who didn’t know what they were getting into. This may occur
when they become aware a district is being formed or later, when they try to
remodel their home.
In either event, they will storm Council and
demand the district be stopped or repealed. Council certainly does not want
this to occur. If it gets to this point, years of hard work could go down the
drain or be seriously delayed.
Remember the fence ordinance? Even this long
standing ordinance came under attack when many residents protested that it was
unfair. Result? Enforcement was delayed for months.
We don’t want a backlash for historic districts. They can be a great idea,
and we are fortunate to have a Council that will seriously consider enacting
a workable historic district ordinance for the first time in Glendale. Now that
we have the chance, let’s get it right.
Back to Contents
NWGHA Hosts
2003 City Council Candidates Forum
By Randy Carter
The Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association
hosted its City Council Candidates Forum on February 27, 2003 at the Brand Library
auditorium to a capacity crowd. The Association candidates forums date almost
back to the formation of the NWGHA in 1989. Will Rogers moderated the forum.
All seven candidates attended: John Robert Christopher, Rick Dinger, Gus Gomez,
Rafi Manoukian, Larry Miller, Carole Sussman, and Dave Wallis. After introducing
themselves, the candidates responded to questions in a “lightning round,”
a crowd favorite where candidates were required to answer only with a “yes”
or “no” to a series of brief questions (some had more problems than
others). Candidates then had the opportunity to lay out their positions on issues,
including rent control, down zoning, historic districts, traffic, development,
and other matters. Members of the audience also submitted questions.
The NWGHA thanks Board Members Carol Brusha,
Bob Getts and Dean Briggs for helping, Will Rogers for moderating and Jill Conner
and Blair Whittington of the Brand Library for making the venue available.
Back
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Kenneth
Village Spotlight--
“Big Dig” at Kenneth
Village Continues
By Kathleen
Giachino
Clearly something is up at the village. Sidewalks
demolished, restricted parking, yellow bands are continuing. Yes, the long awaited
improvements are well under way, and we can hardly wait for completion. Optimistically,
we are more than half way to the village we daydream about. We can picture Christmas,
and the big spring party where we will soon celebrate the opening. But what
exactly is supposed to happen?
Three Projects in One
The short story is as follows. Three projects
have been combined: to rehab the back alley, lay fiber optics for the telephone
company and update the village. This is being done in conjunction with repaving
Grandview from Brand Park to Glenoaks..
The completed first phase, the back alley, involved
regrading and laying new cement.
Fiber optic installation for the telephone company
is coordinates with the remodel of Kenneth Village, so curbs would need be formed
and poured only once by .
The third project, much more exciting than alleys
and fiber optics, started on the south side of Kenneth with sidewalks and includes
reconfiguration of the southern portion of the Sonora/Kenneth intersection.
The curb will flair out to calm traffic.
Undergrounding Power Lines
On the north side of the street, the big ugly
brown poles that serve as light posts will be removed and replaced with charming
light fixtures. Then, underground electricity will light every two or three
trees and new light fixtures will stagger back and forth across Kenneth to replace
the poles. Additionally, four fixtures will be placed on Grandview, two above
Kenneth and two below.
The intersections at both Grandview and Sonora
will be decorated with pressed asphalt to look like brick.
New Village Clock
The long awaited clock will be near the east
side of the parking lot on the south side of the street. It will be 36 inches
in diameter, two-sided, with the words “Kenneth Village” across
the top. The bases of the clock and the light fixtures will match.
The liaison for the city tells us the project
is on schedule. Business is as usual, facilitated by the contractors placing
asphalt to entrances and starting work in the early a.m. in order to finish
by mid afternoon each day.
Stores on the north side of the street, for the
most part, have rear entrances, which are open. Parking in the lot behind the
north side of the village makes it easy for the customers. Don’t feel
put off by all the seeming activity, getting in and out of the village only
looks different, it is the same convenient one stop shopping destination.
The merchants, I’ve spoken with are quite
excited about the new look and can’t wait for the celebration.
Please Renew Delinquent
Memberships
Our membership committee recently
sent out overdue notices to members who did not paid their
dues during 2002. Some have responded (thank you), one said they had moved,
and we haven’t heard from the others.
Please take the time to renew
your membership, because we need your support. If you don't renew, we will be
forced to remove your name from our roster and this will be your last newsletter.
We don’t want to lose you!
If you have any questions about your membership status, please call Carol
Brusha at 247-7710.
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