Camellia Avenue LLC’s Glendale Project Faces Appeal

Some Glendale residents are hoping the Glendale Planning Commission will put the kibosh on a proposed multifamily development in the city.

On Wednesday, the Planning Commission will consider an appeal against a project that would replace a multi-building retail center at 3411-3427 Foothill Boulevard, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The proposal comes from Camellia Avenue LLC, an entity linked in state business records to certified public accountant Janet Harootun.

The site spans 1.3 acres at the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and New York Avenue. Camellia Avenue LLC’s plans call for demolishing all buildings and replacing them with a five-story structure with 87 units ranging from studio to three-bedroom floor plans. Businesses at the corner lot include Dollar King and Hi Star Auto Sales.

A previous iteration of the project called for 78 apartments as well as ground-floor retail space. The updated plans lean on density bonus incentives in exchange for nine units of affordable housing at the very-low-income level, which comes to a maximum annual income of about $53,000 in Los Angeles County.

Residents in the surrounding neighborhood are behind the appeal of the redevelopment claim that the project could negatively impact public safety and should undergo further environmental review before any shovels hit dirt. A City of Glendale staff report recommends that the Planning Commission deny the appeal.

Glendale is facing state-mandated housing goals, like Los Angeles and municipalities across the Golden State. Under its certified housing element, the City of Glendale must entitle 13,425 units by the end of the decade. That figure includes 3,244 units for extremely low-income and very low-income households, 1,834 for low-income residents, 2,124 moderate-income homes and 4,726 above moderate-income units.

Developers have been getting creative in working toward that goal, with moguls like Izek Shomof planning to convert a 19-story office tower next to The Americana at Brand shopping center into 312 units. — Chris Malone Méndez