Greg Astorian

First and foremost, design guidelines should be replaced with design standards, as was done in Downtown Specific Plan (DSP). The issue is, and always will be compatibility. A good design is being in harmony with the surrounding neighborhood. But you must appoint to DRB those that understand and can guide a design to become compatible with the rest of the neighborhood. Lot coverage and floor area ratio, unless contrary to adopted laws such as SB330 and AB 6, to be determined by City Attorney, should be taken under consideration as well.

Dan Brotman*

Glendale has an adopted preservation ordinance and adopted Historic District Design Guidelines as well as the requirements in the California Environmental Act which collectively provide robust protections for historic resources. However, City Staff and the Design Review Board do not always properly enforce or interpret those established principles. As a Council member, I will work to ensure the City follows its Historic District Design Guidelines and the Municipal Code, as well as complying with the California Environmental Quality Act in its review of the treatment of historic resources. Although referred to as “guidelines,” I believe we should consider our Design Guidelines as “standards,” only set aside for compelling reasons of health and safety and, in the rare cases where they are overridden, that clear rationale for doing so is in the public record and is documented.

I will ensure that my appointment to the Design Review Board be a person with successful professional experience in historic preservation. I will also insist that historic preservation expertise be considered a priority for future hiring in Planning.

I first got involved with TGHS to support the establishment of a historic overlay zone in the Niodrara area where I live. Part of my eagerness to gain the designation was based on instances of mansionization in my immediate neighborhood and worries that more would come if we did not act. I will work to ensure that future changes respects the character of surrounding properties both in designated historic districts and beyond their boundaries, where appropriate.

Paula Devine*

The best examples of what Design Guidelines mean to me are found in my voting record on several appeals that came to City Council regarding Design Review Board decisions. In each case, where I viewed the design of the proposed buildings as not being compatible with neighborhood, I voted NO on the motions to approve the Design Review Board decisions. It is my position that Design Guidelines are standards or requirements that must be respected and followed. I base my position on the wording in various Municipal Code Sections, such as: "The intent of Design Review is to ensure single-family design which is compatible with the character inherent within the surrounding neighborhood" and "Every discretionary decision made by the city council related to Hillside Development In the ROS and RIR zones SHALL take into consideration that development SHALL be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood".

I believe the only way Design Guidelines can be successfully used to protect the scale of older neighborhoods and ensure compatibility is for Councilmembers to appoint Design Review Board Members who will interpret and enforce Design Guidelines as requirements and for Councilmembers to, also, respect, interpret and enforce Design Guidelines as requirements, when making decision.

I believe that changes to floor area ratio and lot coverage will not be necessary to reverse the current trend if Design Review Board members and Councilmembers interpret and enforce the existing Design Guidelines as requirements.

Vartan Gharpetian

Design guidelines are very important for neighborhood compatibility and have to be enforced. But unfortunately local control is being taking away from local municipalities by attempts such as SB50, ADUs and Junior ADUs.

As far as the FAR and lot coverage changes, we all know what is going on with State Legislature. They threw the idea of enforcing FAR and lot coverage requirements out the window with the ADU ordinance and more is on the horizon.

Ardy Kassakhian

More than the issue of FAR and lot ratio is the dangers posed by legislation which will virtually eliminate single family home neighborhoods such as those that make Glendale a unique and special place to live in. I support the preservation our current single-family home neighborhoods and doing whatever is necessary to maintain their character including suing the state as other cities have done. I support the creation of more historical districts where appropriate and where the residents residing in the area initiate and support the effort.

We have had some great homes come before City Council for Mills Act designation, and they are sometimes homes that would seem incompatible with what is in the surrounding area. I sometimes wonder what people must have thought when some of the mid-century modern homes were being built in Glendale’s neighborhoods which were comprised of predominantly ranch style houses. Nowadays, the mid-century modern style is one that is respected, revered and considered a quintessential piece of California’s history and our state’s post war development. Same can be said of the googie style of architecture which may seem a bit out of this world to some but has a significant place in our state and regional history. I would defer the idea of compatibility to experts and would hope that with qualified planning commissioners, design review board members and staffing, we can all come to an agreement as to what adds to or preserves the character of a particular neighborhood or district or area.

William Keshishyan

Design Guidelines are crucial as they provide solutions and compromise to much of the discussion that builders, developers and city governments may have in regard to development, redevelopment or “mansionization.” I believe they also distill the character of a neighborhood by providing a framework for future change in development and design while not compromising the integrity of a historically significant building or zone. Conserving a harmonious environment in terms of design is crucial in preserving the values of our communities, however I do not believe changes to floor area ratio and lot coverage would be effective.

Leonard Manoukian

No Response.

Susan Wolfson*

The City’s comprehensive design guidelines, which were adopted a little more than eight years ago, should be a blueprint to ensure that homeowners can trust that their neighborhoods retain a stable aesthetic character. The first step to protect the scale of older neighborhoods and ensure compatibility is to adhere firmly to the existing guidelines and refrain from excessive allowance of variances. The second step is to regularly review the guidelines to ensure that they remain up to date and are robust enough to protect against attempts to violate their spirit if not their letter. To that end, it may be necessary to reduce the allowable floor area ratio and lot coverage in certain types of neighborhoods. One example is hillside areas where there are safety concerns as well as aesthetic ones.