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5 Responses to Why Benjamin Franklin Elementary School parents should care about the hotel proposed at 1633 S. Victory Blvd.

1. Jackie Grace says:

   January 7, 2019 at 10:17 pm

   I Will do my part to help stop this hotel. Can you please add me to the mailing list?

   Thank you.
   • novictoryhotel.org says:

     January 9, 2019 at 8:37 am

     Thank you for your support. You have been added to our mailing list and will receive updates.
     Please sign our online petition.
     All Benjamin Franklin Elementary employees and parents are valid signatures on the petition since they all make use of the Glendale Rancho neighborhood and are within 500 feet of the proposed construction site. Even students may sign, with parental permission, since they too share a very important interest in the proper handling of toxins and ground contamination.

     IMPORTANT: One does NOT have to live in Glendale to sign the petition if they make use of the Rancho neighborhood school. We have confirmed this with the city’s project planner, Dennis Joe.
2. Joanna Hess says:

   January 15, 2019 at 7:19 pm

   I’m seriously so disappointed about the decision to proceed. Why didn’t more people sign? Now I wish I had at least had my children sign as they are directly affected attending Franklin. And the other motels owned by the developer are complete dumps. I foresee major traffic problems. It’s hard enough already navigating these narrow streets with young children in tow. Glendale city officials seem only to want to line their pockets.
   • novictoryhotel.org says:

     January 15, 2019 at 10:52 pm

     Why didn’t more people sign?

     Perhaps they didn’t know. Getting the issue into public awareness is harder than it seems. It takes a well organized effort which we simply didn’t have despite having some amazing support.

     An appeal of the decision is possible (within 15 days of the DRB meeting). However, I don’t see enough public interest in it, and it’s unlikely we could even crowd-fund the appeal fee ($2,000.00). Not to mention additional expenses such as signs, printed materials, and an attorney.

     Regarding your children signing the petition, at one point we had considered a petition exclusively ‘by children for children’ to sign (with parent approval). We simply didn’t have the time or people-power to implement it. It’s unlikely much was lost for that. The petition didn’t seem to be of great consideration to the DRB. They looked at it but gave no feedback about it.

     As for the other motels, they are not the Applicant’s. Rather they belong to a member of the development team. The two most local of them operate under the “Capri” brand name. They have unsavory reputations online and off. It’s our hope that the Capri owner will either run an establishment that earns a cleaner reputation. Or, that the rest of his development team will keep him on a leash to prevent mismanagement.
     Hopefully this blog will never have to feature pictures of Glendale Police Department responding to calls at the hotel. But if we see that the hotel brings an unwelcome element to the Rancho (such as drugs or prostitution) we’ll report it. First to police and then on this blog.

     Remember, though it’s too late to stop the project or have the DRB make major alterations, it’s still not too late to become interested and active regarding this development. The Applicant has many obstacles to overcome still. It’s up to the local citizen to make sure that the city holds him to his responsibilities without cutting corners. For example, if people have environmental concerns, they can address those questions to the city planner, or even contact an independent environmental activist group for assistance or guidance. If someone is concerned about the feral cats allowed to breed by the scores on the neglected lot, they can contact Pasadena Humane Society, the Glendale Neighborhood Services Department, and/or an animal rights group. Likewise, to report the condition of the neglected lot, one should contact Glendale Neighborhood Services.

     The city is not our advocate, so participation is key. If we do not, agencies like Glendale’s Community Development Department will continue to act like Glendale’s Department of Community Detachment.

3. Pingback: 1633 Victory Blvd. site conditions: The effect of neglect (part 1) | NoVictoryHotel.org

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