First published in the Dec. 31 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
By Alexandra Applegate
Glendale News-Press
It’s been a productive year for Glendale, with city staff nearing completion on more than half of the 55 projects identified in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Workplan, adopted by the City Council one year ago.
City staff has six months left to complete these projects — which go beyond the normal workload — by the end of Fiscal Year 2022-23 on June 30. Of those, staff reported at the last city council meeting of the year that 28 of these projects, programs or initiatives were finished or are more than 50% completed. Only one project remained to begin — researching and delivering a report on an infrastructure bond.
“It’s important to note that these items are in addition to the tremendous work that our women and men in our departments perform on a regular basis, day in and day out, as well as a large number of items council requests staff follow up on,” said City Manager Roubik Golanian.
Each of the identified projects falls into alignment with one of the four priorities the City Council identified during their priority-setting discussions last year.
The council’s infrastructure priority, with 22 projects that fall under its umbrella, includes a number of initiatives that seek to improve the look and function of Glendale. Two fire stations received a complete retrofit while staff is developing a 10-Year Seismic and Functional Retrofit Master Plan for the other stations to ensure the buildings can withstand an earthquake.
Other infrastructure projects include starting designs for the much-anticipated Glendale-L.A. Garden River Pedestrian/Bike Bridge, completing the Storm Drain Master Plan and finishing the Wi-Fi Master Plan. Staff is also working to begin the Central Library Roof Replacement project and add 60 electric vehicle charging stations across the city in parks, parking lots and curbside locations.
In addition, the Community Development Department is starting to envision the transformation of Artsakh Avenue into a thriving Artsakh Creative, Arts & Entertainment District.
“We’re trying to figure out what it is that we want to do with those spaces,” said Community Development Director Bradley Calvert. “Using this pilot program, [the council] will help us determine what kind of businesses should be there as that street transitions to a new design.”
The City Council also named environmental stewardship as one of its priorities for this fiscal year. Under that guidance, the staff is working to complete the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan. Earlier this year, the council also passed a new set of solar and EV reach codes that go beyond the state’s standards and has kicked off the process to consider a ban on single-use plastics in Glendale.
To further its environmental and clean energy goals, the city also launched its plans to plant 1,500 new trees throughout Glendale in the next 10 years and is developing local solar energy storage at city-owned properties.
With the state’s ongoing housing shortage, housing was also a named priority from the City Council. City staff is working to adopt its Housing Element of the Glendale General Plan, establish two housing assistance programs for residents and began construction or development plans on a few affordable and market-rate housing projects including Lucia Park, Harrower Village and Citrus Crossing.
“I often argue that I firmly believe that this City Council and Glendale, in general, is doing more for affordable housing than just about any other city in this region,” Calvert said.
Calvert reported the city has allocated $17.2 million for direct assistance for Section 8 vouchers and $3.25 million as part of its Monthly Housing Subsidy Program during FY 2021-22.
Finally, the city also adopted single-family and multi-family design standards to align with the state’s passing of SB 9, which allows multi-family units to be built where zoning previously restricted the types of units.
Lastly, to further connect Glendale and improve mobility around the city, staff is working on plans to transform how residents get around town. They are updating a Citywide Bicycle Transportation Plan and a first-of-its-kind Citywide Pedestrian Safety Plan. Plus, Glendale will adopt a Vision Zero Policy within its Local Roadway Safety Plan to reach the city’s goal of seeing zero traffic-related deaths.
In an extension of a pandemic-era program to open up more outdoor dining spaces throughout the city, Glendale is also implementing a permanent slow streets program. The Montrose Permanent Parklets were installed in March 2022 and the city will seek approval from the council on the Downtown Glendale Permanent Parklets in 2023.
In its exploration of various transit opportunities to connect Glendale neighborhoods or to other cities, Glendale also completed the Verdugo Wash Visioning process.
The newly elected City Council will begin another priority-setting session in February 2023 to help staff develop its workplan for the next fiscal year.
