Poll: Do you support, and are you willing to participate in, an appeal of the Design Review Board decision on Victory Hotel?

A poll asking “Do you support, and are you willing to participate in, an appeal of the Design Review Board decision on Victory Hotel?” was posted on Nextdoor.com Riverside Rancho and surrounding areas.  We are mirroring the same poll here to determine the public interest in taking the matter to Glendale’s City Council.  Due to time constraints I have not installed a polling widget.  To express your opinion on the case, please comment below.  If you prefer to keep your opinion private, or correspond with us on a related matter, please email us at admin@NoVictoryHotel.org

Things to consider:

— An 11th hour sunlight study that residents didn’t get to see before the DRB’s decision

— DRB approved a design which showed hotel viewing over rooftops and into yards on Winchester Ave. and Garden St.(including backyards) is still possible

— Compromising public safety in the alley so the Applicant could squeeze in 64 units and protect their financial model?

— DRB statement that the “conditions” actually represented a “redesign,” but approved anyway?

— The acceptance of the DRB that the Applicant’s “outreach” meetings were adequate based on the Applicant’s word and not based on actual recordings of those meetings (which were recorded and are available).

— Community confidence in the integrity of the DRB is diminished and their decision questionable in light of a guilty plea by Arthur Charchian, former DRB chair, of laundering over $500,000 as part of $14-million tax-fraud scam. (He’s only a “former” chairman for having gotten caught. Otherwise he’d still be making decisions for the city of Glendale which affect the lives of many.) https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-me-arthur-charchian-guilty-plea-20181221-story.html

— Community confidence in the integrity of the DRB is diminished and their decisions questionable in light of the Glendale News Press story confirming that Glendale seeks the construction of hotels: https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-me-downtown-glendale-hotel-proposal-20190116-story.html

— The possibility of a decision bias by DRB member Art Simonian who recently withdrew his bid to re-zone and tear down the Rancho’s Silver Spur Stables in order to build condos (no accusation here, simply exploring the possibility)

This is the ‘quick list.’ More reasons to appeal may come to light as we watch, and re-watch, the DRB meeting of January 10, 2019.

The deadline for filing an appeal is Friday January 25, 2019.  The filing fee is $2,000.00 and is dependent on neighborhood contributions.  Please note that this is a daunting task and will require COMMUNITY ACTION to proceed.  It can not be handled by a select few.  Whether through financial contribution, professional service, or creating awareness… YOUR EFFORT IS NEEDED!

We look forward to the best possible outcome.  Thank you.

This entry was posted in Glendale Design Review Board, Glendale Rancho, Rancho equestrian interests, Riverside Rancho, urbanization. Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Poll: Do you support, and are you willing to participate in, an appeal of the Design Review Board decision on Victory Hotel?

  1. Joanna Hess says:

    Yes, I support an appeal.

    • I just saw the Applicant’s shoddy “sun study” today. Hard to believe the DRB accepted that. It only looks at 2 days of the year and only 3 times in each of those days.

      I’ll have more information from the city planner tomorrow regarding who examined the study. I’ll also inquire about whether (or when) the planning commission will be reviewing this project.

  2. Yes I support an appeal!!

  3. Gina Del Grosso says:

    I support an appeal!

    • Thank you for your support, Gina. Filing an appeal is still a possibility. I will discuss it tomorrow with a land use consultant (left a message with them today) and a neighbor who is quite experienced in this kind of matter.
      For me, it’s a decision between appealing, or preparing my home to become a rental and leaving the Rancho.
      Anyway, I’ll make the decision tomorrow based on the information I gather from those more experienced, the show of support from the community, and the availability of funding for the appeal fee.

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