Vrej Agajanian

No Response.

Elen Asatryan

Yes I support the creation of historic districts with input from residents in the district. Glendale’s neighborhoods are special with defining characteristics that should be preserved. Destroying the character of the neighborhoods means losing important history. The historic resources are what makes these neighborhoods so beautiful. You can immediately tell when you leave Glendale to a neighboring City because the quality of housing and standards drops. If we allow this to happen in Glendale, then we risk losing something very valuable. I would be open to feedback from TGHS members and residents on ways to improve the application process.

Dan Brotman

I do support the creation of additional historic districts.

Preserving our historic districts helps the community maintain a sense of place and a connection to our shared past. It strengthens civic pride and community participation. From a purely economic point of view, a city with a clear story will tend to be more competitive in attracting residents, talent and visitors. In my view, the goal should not be to live in a museum but to integrate the past and the present in as natural a way as possible such that necessary development does not feel alienating.

I believe we can streamline the process by reducing the number of steps before a historic district proposal gets to City Council. For instance, I am not sure two petitions are needed; a single petition requiring 50% support after HPC review and recommendation might be sufficient.

More importantly, I believe we should return to having dedicated, qualified historic preservation staff. This is more important now than ever given the impetus from SB 9 to expand our historic overlay zones.

Anita Quinonez Gabrielian

I am in strong support of historic districts. I believe they contribute to the preservation of the unique character and history of each district and make our hometown attractive and very special. I am very fortunate to live a block away from the Niodrara Historic District and only a few blocks away from the Catalina Verdugo Adobe, the very first entry in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources. They are my favorite stops in my customary walk around my neighborhood. They are part of the beauty of living in such a special, quiet and safe neighborhood. Historic districts also increase home values.

I believe all aspects of our permitting process in the city must be updated. We should invest in creating a user-friendly, transparent permitting process that allows for easy tracking and provides clear accountability of each step, the corresponding individual responsible, the estimated time to completion and the cost. Outreach to all homeowners is important so that the very people most affected are reached quickly and efficiently, not just at the onset, but during the entire process.

Jordan Henry

Yes, I support the creation of historic districts in Glendale, especially as a means of challenging SB 9, which will rapidly urbanize single-family residential neighborhoods with little to no off-street parking required. Zoning policy and development approvals should be strictly kept at the local level.

Pasadena has supported urgent adoption of additional historic districts, and the state has chastised them for attempting to evade SB-9 — see LA Times article on this issue here. On Council, I will join with other cities to challenge SB-9, such as Redondo Beach, Carson, Torrence, and Whittier, who are currently filing suit in CA court. Perhaps Pasadena would join the effort, too.

When I first moved to Glendale, my family and I lived on Grandview Ave, just south of Kenneth Village. Nearly all of Northwest Glendale should be designated a historic district immediately, as should many other neighborhoods throughout the city. Otherwise, developers will begin purchasing homes, splitting lots, and building up to four units with no off-street parking. The look and feel of these iconic neighborhoods will quickly deteriorate.

On Council, I will support appointing members from participating neighborhoods to actively work with the Historic Preservation Commission to determine which areas could be deemed historic, based on architectural and/or historical significance. Additionally, I will instruct city staff to work as liaisons with various communities with the aim of expediting the application process through clear and consistent dialogue.

Karen Kwak

Before moving to Glendale, I lived in the historic waterfront Derby Street district in Salem, Massachusetts. I rented the second floor apt of a historic house. As a historic house, the exterior had to maintain its design connection to its past but the interior had been significantly redone over the years.

As a tourist attraction in Salem, MA, the historic house helped bring in tourist revenue to the town as a whole—which I tried to remember when tourists annoyingly peeked through the mail slot in my front door, not realizing that it was a private residence and not a public museum. Living in a historic district has both its benefits and its drawbacks. Also, having lived in a house built in 1772, I may have a different perspective on what “historic” means, compared to the more modern houses built in California. Before Salem, MA, I lived in the attic apartment of a genuine Victorian in New Canaan, CT, which was also filled with character and had the odd corners and closets that Victorian houses feature, for $1200 a month (in 2013). I specifically mention prices to note that historic preservation does not need to conflict with the needs of affordable housing.

Five years seems a long time to create a new historic district. I support the creation of new historic districts where there is reason to form one, but on a case-by-case basis. I do not support creating historic districts simply to evade the provisions of SB9.

Ara Najarian

I was one of the original supporters of the Glendale Historic District process and voted to implement the Historic District Ordinance. The purpose of the Historic District designation is to preserve the architectural history of certain neighborhoods and to prevent them from being demolished or unreasonably altered. The preservation of these neighborhoods, protects both a certain period of architectural style and also preserves a particular period in the history of our city. I do not support wholesale changes to the district designation process mainly because there are real property rights of many neighborhood residents at stake. I support a vigorous outreach program to educate and inform neighbors of the benefits of the district creation and that process does take some time to obtain the appropriate "buy in" of residents.

Isabel Valencia-Tevanyan

Yes, I support the creation of Historic Districts because they continue to perpetuate the creation of well-known architects through their talent and wisdom are able to translate their talent in each of those historic pieces. I am not aware of the current difficulties and inconveniences of the application and approval processes. My personal opinion is that these processes need to be run by individuals passionate for historic landmarks in the city of Glendale and have merit.