Glendale Buys JoAnn Fabrics Store With Park Conversion Plans

JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts’ demise left retail buildings across the country ripe for redevelopment. The city of Glendale has taken notice.

The city bought the vacant 33,800-square-foot former JoAnn location at 1000 South Central Avenue from Aria Investments for $24 million, L.A. Business First reported.

Rather than converting it to offices or housing, the city is looking to build a public park and a recreation center on the 2.4-acre site. In doing so, it would be the fourth-largest park in south Glendale, the outlet said. Some city council members are hoping for the park’s main field to double as a soccer field.

The acquisition marks the first major purchase by the city for a park property in the past 25 years. The city began looking at buying the property at the beginning of the year, said Glendale Community Services & Parks director Onnig Bulanikian. The area was designated in “very high need” of green space in a 2015 Los Angeles County Parks Needs Assessment, Bulanikian said.

To pay for the plot, the city used $8 million from its development impact fee fund and $2.3 million in Measure A grant revenue. By using Measure A money, the entire project must be a park and have no mixed uses such as housing or retail.

“The purchase of real estate property in south Glendale has been a major priority for [the city] council with the purpose of developing a park and recreational space,” City Manager Roubik Golanian said.

JoAnn shuttered the last of its stores in May after filing for bankruptcy for a second time within a year. That included 31 locations in Southern California.

Supermarket chains, medical companies and other prospective buyers were circling the property with fast-closing, competitively priced offers and plans to benefit the public before the city swooped in.

The next step is to hire a consultant to help with the development, marketing and conceptual planning for the project over the next year. — Chris Malone Méndez