Re: Appeal of Design Review Board decision PDR 1723012-B; 1633 S. Victory Blvd. 3-story, 64-room hotel with ingress and egress access to 2 level of underground parking from public alleyway — allowing for a single business monopolization of alleyway and burden of cumulative traffic congestion.
As the date approaches for our appeal case to be heard by City Council, we will be adding photos to our feature called “alley traffic of the day.” The point of this is so that our concerns about cumulative alley congestion, resident access, and potential of injury are not heard as typical generic cries of “traffic,” but are instead clearly demonstrated, over time, and shown to be a real condition, not merely an opinion based in projection, assumptions, or fear.
Today we have a few photos, all taken withing minutes of each other.
Above: A large shipping cargo carrier truck, approaching from the Victory Blvd. mouth of the alleyway, navigates between a residential vehicle and a gardener servicing the apartment buildings on Western Ave. At the other end of this alleyway the driver will have to turn on to Lake St., mere feet away from Benjamin Franklin Elementary school. (time: 1:09 p.m.)
Below: Pedestrian traffic is frequent in the alleyway. Here neighbors are breaking down boxes to place in a sanitation bin, leaving a single passing lane for all traffic while they work. (time 1:17 p.m.)
Below: A Herc Rentals truck approaches and parks alongside the Chevron Extra Mile, across from the proposed development site (time: 1:18 p.m.)
Services like Uber and Lyft expected to serve the proposed hotel are not a benefit to traffic as they may be to parking. They are still cars, and still add to cumulative traffic. They are a quick pick-up, quick drop-off services, inclined to completely bypass the underground parking turnabout in favor of using the alley to expedite their services.
It is our sincere hope that the Glendale City Council will view these photographs and consider all of their implications; from issues regarding resident inconvenience and prevention of usage, to the potential for property damage, injury, or fatality.
Please email City Council at the addresses below and let them know that measures must be taken to mitigate the cumulative traffic congestion caused by allowing hotel patrons to occupy both lanes of alley traffic. The solution to this is to require incoming hotel traffic to approach the underground parking entrance while remaining on the hotel property exclusively, and only exiting into the public alleyway. This method of incoming traffic approach has been used by all businesses previously located at the same location.
Voice your opposition to PDR-1723012-B by emailing or speaking to CITY COUNCIL
- “Zareh Sinanyan” <zsinanyan@glendaleca.gov>
- “Paula Devine” <pdevine@glendaleca.gov>
- “Ara Najarian” <anajarian@glendaleca.gov>
- “Vartan Gharpetian” <vgharpetian@glendaleca.gov>
- “Vrej Agajanian” <vagajanian@glendaleca.gov>