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.
Only brief captions as I catch up on posting the many photos of alleyway congestion taken to date:
A car pauses in the alley next to the proposed hotel site as a truck passes. (time 10:12:39 a.m.) Six seconds later – The car pauses longer to let another car pass. (time 10:12:45 a.m.) After speaking with the driver to explain why I’m taking pictures and explain the Appeal, a black truck passes in the opposite direction. (time: 10:27:36 a.m. )A box truck enters via the Victory Blvd. mouth of the alley to access the gas station. The entry path is evident by the angle of the truck. (time: 10:36:24 a.m.)This large truck, used for transporting concrete casket vaults, stops at the Extra-Mile shop. Too large to park on Chevron’s lot, it stops in the alleyway (time 10:45:13 a.m.). It sits directly across from the hotel’s proposed development site and close to their planned parking entrance.This is the view from the front showing a nearby telephone pole tension wire present in the alley.Unable to turn around, the departing casket vault carrier departs down the alleyway toward Lake St. (time 10:51:28 a.m.)At 11:46:43 a.m. I was taking pictures of the toxic waste that has been present on the Applicant’s lot for the last two years (lower left). In the background is a vehicle passing by the opened doors of the Chevron station’s trash containment area.
At this point I had a 1:20 p.m. appointment to go to, and believed I was finished getting traffic congestion examples for the day. I was wrong.
(time 1:07:22) A car sits in the center-right portion of the alleyway waiting for a Waste Management sanitation truck to empty a dumpster from the Chevron Extra-Mile’s trash area. This photo is different than the other pictures I’ve taken of alleyway congestion because… this time, I’m caught in it. Oh, the irony. Of all the times I’ve taken images of alleyway traffic congestion, this time I’m a part of it. My appointment at my daughter’s school is in 13 minutes and this dumpster is still on its way down. I don’t want to wait… but I don’t want to miss the photo op either.I take some photos and video of the dumpster coming back down, and getting pushed back into its containment area. Instead of waiting longer to navigate the alley around the truck and behind the passenger vehicle, I opt for Western Ave. instead (a street I generally try to avoid due to traffic). I was just slightly late for my appointment with my daughter’s counselor, but not marked tardy.
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
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.
April 2, 2019 was a Tuesday, residential trash day in the Rancho. The following image shows the distance from property lines from which our municipal sanitation vehicle’s extension arms reach to pick up containers.
A look on the other side of this truck shows the amount of clearance any passing vehicles (in either direction) would have to navigate as the sanitation truck rests over the alleyway midpoint.
Below: (8:33 a.m.) A vehicle exiting the gas station encounters a blocked driveway and opts to exit to Victory Blvd. via the mouth of the alley (a common occurrence). Chevron gas station traffic tends to be heavy in the mornings. In all likelihood, all three vehicles pictured exiting onto Victory Blvd. are about to embark on their morning commute.
Below: A municipal vehicle driver watches mattresses being secured to a flatbed truck opposite the hotel’s proposed garage entrance. (time 9:00 a.m.)
Below: While finding and securing tie-down materials, the driver driver-side door of the mattress truck extends into the alleyway (time 9:02 a.m.). This situation, though safe as seen, presents a potential for injury and property damage at times of congestion if an oncoming vehicle impacts the obstruction.
Below: By 9:37 a.m., our municipal sanitation vehicle (one of them) has returned traveling in the opposite direction servicing residents on the Winchester side of the alley. An oncoming car pauses to wait for safe passage between the truck and a nearby telephone pole. Note the truck has brake lights illuminated as it too pauses to ensure safe passage.
Below: Another sanitation truck traveling the same route also encounters an obstruction delay in the alley as it waits for a local resident to enter their carport. (time 2:39 p.m.)
Throughout the day pedestrian traffic is also frequent as neighbors take their container out for pickup and retrieve them after emptying. The departing trash truck travels well over the alleyway midpoint during its slow migration toward Lake St.
Below: The vehicle we saw enter the carport two minutes earlier, now exits. The sanitation truck has not gone far as it it picks up the many recycling containers that sit in the alleyway. (time 2:41 p.m.)
Below: The next series of images occurs 8 minutes later (time: 2:49 p.m.)
Above: A truck stops briefly next to the Chevron gas station, opposite the proposed hotel’s underground parking entrance. A black SUV style vehicle passes to the left of the truck. In the distance to the right, we can see a Dial-A-Ride bus awaiting to exit the gas station onto Victory Blvd.
Below: Before the SUV approaches and exits the mouth of the alley, another vehicle appears, awaiting to exit the same route. From this angle, we can also see that a small black passenger vehicle sits in front of the Dial-A-Ride bus, also awaiting to exit the gas station onto Victory Blvd. (time: 2:49 p.m.)
Below: At 3:29 p.m. we see a UPS truck parked along side the Chevron Extra-Mile shop, leaving a passing lane for two-way traffic to its left.
As it departs, it requires a little clearance to pull away. Note the angle of the UPS truck in the second photo.
Above: As it approaches the mouth of the alley, we can see that it occupies the full central portion of the alleyway mouth before exiting onto Victory Blvd.
Below: This central usage of the alley mouth is not due to carelessness, nor spatial luxury. The UPS truck requires a little extra space to accommodate its large turning radius as it enters onto Victory Blvd. — Here vehicles will turn right whenever possible since the left turn onto Victory Blvd. is a far trickier and treacherous maneuver.
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
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.
This brief series of images was shot in the few seconds it took me to place trash in an alley-side container. Here a service truck headed toward Lake St. encounters a passenger vehicle traveling toward Victory Blvd. Note that each vehicle moves to their right only for passing, thereafter continuing their travel in the center portion of the alley.
This type of passing traffic is seen frequently throughout the day. In addition to residents, service vehicles, and delivery trucks that require the alleyway, it is often used as a shortcut for motorists intending to avoid traffic on Western Ave. when accessing the southbound Interstate 5 Freeway entrance near Lake St. The route on Victory Blvd. from the 134 Freeway to Western Ave. heading to the Interstate 5 Freeway is a primary access road which is congested with bumper to bumper cars during morning and evening commuter traffic.
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
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.
The traffic events below were all recorded in 6 minutes and 23 seconds.
Below: A tow truck parked across from the proposed hotel entrance site in the alley (time 11:59:41 a.m.). It appears to have clearance to proceed while still leaving clearance for traffic.
Above: The truck is actually blocked by crash poles that are protecting a ground-anchored telephone pole tension wire (time 11:59:54 p.m.). Access to the adjacent business’ trash area is also partially blocked. The truck will require area up to, and perhaps beyond the alley midpoint. Otherwise, the truck apparently has a hazard-free path on a clear day.
Below: The truck brakes for a resident leaving their garage (time: 12:01 p.m).
Below: (time: 12:02 p.m.) The truck encounters congestion at the Lake St. mouth of this alley, a half-block away from Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. Here it has to navigate along several parked or stopped vehicles. One of the vehicle owners in the left of the image helped guide the tow truck driver through the situation before returning to his own vehicle.
Above: The doors to the Chevron trash area are now fully opened, extending to the alleyway (time 12:05:45 p.m.).
Below: At 12:06:04 p.m., (19 seconds after taking the photo above) I turn around to see a car approaching. Note that it is one of the same cars that was pictured at the Lake St. mouth of the alleyway. Requiring only one available alley lane to pass, the driver uses the center of the alley for passage when available. Many local residents do this, leaving room for the many bicyclists, skateboarders, and pedestrians (many walking their dogs) that use the alleyway.
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
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.
Picking up where we left off on March 26, 2019, we have several examples of alleyway congestion.
Below: A black Cadillac pauses as a sanitation truck empties containers. After emptying a container, the sanitation truck also experiences a delay. (time: 10:43 a.m.)
Below: Looking to the left of the black Cadillac and sanitation truck, we see a small silver passenger vehicle attempting to pass the truck.
Below: Despite its small size, the silver car is unable to pass, instead opting to wait adjacent to garage doors and between telephone poles as the large truck passes.
As we can see in the many examples of sanitation vehicles making their rounds, they require a buffer far enough from the property lines that the large vehicles must pass the midpoint of the alleyway. There must be adequate clearance for trash bins as well as the space required for the truck’s mechanism to secure and lift the bins.
The addition of ride-sharing vehicles and those of independent motorists attempting to approach or depart from an alleyway hotel entrance could easily cause additional congestion. On days of high traffic for the hotel (including arrivals, guest excursions, and departures), this problem could easily become exponentially worse.
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
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’s traffic photos of the day feature a regular sight along our public alleyway. Tuesday is the day that Glendale municipal sanitation vehicles empty the single residence and business trash, recycling, and green waste bins for locations along Western Ave. and Winchester Ave. For the Western Ave. side of the alleyway, the trucks enter from the Lake St. mouth of the alley and exit via Victory Blvd. The opposite path is followed along the same alleyway to service residents along Winchester Ave.
Below: Two municipal sanitation vehicles travel along the alleyway simultaneously, providing their service to residents and businesses along Western Ave.
Below: After several pauses to empty the many containers along the alley, each truck proceeds to exit the alley via Victory Blvd. Both trucks are required to move to their left to navigate around a tow truck and exit the alleyway. This maneuver happens directly across from (and in the approach to) the proposed hotel’s planned underground parking entrance/exit. The municipal vehicles require the use of the left lane to avoid prolonged congestion of the public alleyway.
Below: Both trucks exit (turning left) onto Victory Blvd. after passing the tow truck
The issue of requiring the hotel Applicant to keep hotel traffic on the hotel property due to the effect of cumulative alleyway congestion was brought to the attention of the Glendale Design Review Board. Remarkably, they treated it as a non-issue or one of little importance. They gave consideration only on WHERE to place the hotel’s entrance to underground parking, but none to the effect it will have. Without the filed appeal for a redesign of the hotel project and (hopefully) the wisdom of City Council to correct this problem, the DRB decision would be final. And all of the future consequences will become the burden of local residents.
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
FOLLOW UP: The scenario of alley congestion cited above is not a rarity. It is a common sight and occurs among a variety of vehicles daily. Shortly after taking the above photos, we obtained more of our municipal sanitation vehicles making their designated rounds.
Below: Servicing the Winchester Ave. side of the alleyway, a municipal sanitation vehicle collects brown trash bins. This truck is required to wait while a local Western Ave. resident (black car) exits their carport. (time: 9:25 a.m.)
Below: To reach this point, the Glendale sanitation vehicle had to pass a van servicing the Chevron Extra-Mile shop (time: 9:25 a.m.) . Though we missed the moment of navigation between the two vehicles, it is obvious by the time stamps (merely seconds apart) that the sanitation vehicle had to pass this van to follow its designated course. This course is directly in front of the hotel’s proposed underground parking entrance/exit from which the Applicant expects to allow multiple instances of two-way traffic throughout the day, every day.
Below: Yet another Glendale municipal sanitation vehicle travels along the Winchester Ave. side of the alley to collect garden waste from residential green containers (time 9:43 a.m.).
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
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.
We have a number of examples below to catch up on our Alley traffic photos of the day feature.
Monday March 18, 2019. Waste Management makes it’s regularly scheduled stop. A resident in a white passenger vehicle awaits to exit the alleyway. Two vehicles, a truck and a passenger vehicle, attempt to enter the alleyway.
The white truck moves to its driver’s left attempting to avert the congestion.
As the truck exits the alleyway, it moves to its left, allowing the smaller white truck to pass.
American Reclamation, a company contracted with the City of Glendale is also scheduled to come through with their sanitation trucks (today’s truck not pictured) on Mondays to pick up bulky items.
Thursday March 14, 2019
It’s less common to see Waste Management on Thursday. This is the Recycling pickup which comes as needed.
Wednesday March 13, 2019
A Frito-Lay delivery truck hangs partially in the alley while servicing the Chevron Extra-Mile shop.
Tuesday March 12 2019 (around 6:50 am).
A Coca-Cola Truck readies to deliver to the Extra-Mile shop.
Two vehicles approach from the opposite end of the alleyway; a car and a truck loaded with mattresses. The car will be able to navigate around (to the right of) the Coca-Cola truck.
However, the truck carrying mattresses is unable to navigate the passage.
The driver waits for the Coca-Cola truck to exit the alleyway before proceeding on its course.
At the January 10, 2019 Design Review Board meeting we presented a packet of traffic photos taken in the alleyway, most taken where the hotel project Applicant intends to place an entrance to underground parking. We are posting the same photographs in the order they were compiled for the DRB to review. Captions describing the photos have been added.
A Waste Management vehicle stops to empty the dumpsters via the alleyway at the Chevron Extra Mile. The first image shows the doors to the trash containment area open and the dumpster being rolled out. The truck’s cab and dumpster lift sit opposite of the proposed hotel’s underground parking entrance. Sanitation service is present at this location multiple times per week, including Saturdays. (The structure seen in the bottom left corner of the second image is a never emptied toxic waste containment area. Admittedly, not an alley traffic issue.)
The first image above shows a municipal sanitation vehicle that has broken down while collecting trash in the alley. The vehicle behind the truck is another municipal vehicle sent to transport a mechanic with supplies to repair the large collection vehicle. In the following photo, a passenger vehicle navigates between the repair vehicle and guard poles protecting the base of a telephone pole tension cable. The passenger vehicle achieves its clearance at the point of proposed hotel’s underground parking entrance which is also the active point of both its incoming and outgoing traffic.
A Coca-Cola transport vehicle makes a routine delivery to the Chevron Extra Mile store via the public alleyway. To reach this position the truck made its approach traveling the entire length of the alley. To insure a safe delivery, the vehicle parks as close as possible to the proposed project’s property line. Yellow caution cones are used by the driver to warn oncoming vehicles of a potential hazard. The next photo shows a passenger vehicle navigating the alley for passage between the truck and the gas station. Note that Chevron never occupies two lanes of traffic in the alleyway, in part or in whole, that would prevent or hinder safe passage of vehicles.
A very large Gatorade delivery truck is parked on the Chevron side of the alleyway on a rainy day. This truck required a large turning radius to exit the alleyway onto Victory Blvd.
Above two scenarios where a single traffic lane is available for public traffic. First, a utility truck is parked mid-alley as a worker tends to one of the services the alley’s many telephone poles provide (telephone, cable, electrical). These workers are frequently lifted by on-vehicle equipment to reach their repair site. Next, a United tow truck is parked on the Chevron side of the alley directly across from the proposed hotel site. The hotel’s two-way traffic would present congestion when incoming cars line up to approach the parking entrance. Cars exiting the hotel would have to wait for an opportunity to reach Victory Blvd.
Another soft drink vendor occupies the alleyway while making a delivery, leaving only a single lane for all entering and exiting traffic.
[end of photos presented to Design Review Board]
It is our position that the Applicant’s single private business should NOT be allowed the potential to occupy both alley lanes of traffic at any point in time, in whole or in part, creating a potential for congestion, property damage, personal injury, or fatality accident. We want City Council to understand that this is not a mere selection of ‘lucky shot’ photos, but rather an easily obtained compilation that represents traffic at this mouth of the public alleyway on any given day.
Our request to the Design Review Board to require the Applicant to keep his traffic upon his own property to accommodate congestion on high-traffic days was dismissed. Instead the Applicant was left to his own discretion whether or not to provide more alley width by eliminating planter areas along their building (if their current design for storm water runoff could be altered). When addressing the issue of the alley width and storm water runoff conflict, Board member Art Simonian said: “I would also say as a consideration, consider the other three feet if you’re able to route that water to the northern side of it.”
The Applicant should not be the party to decide on matters that affect public safety such as alley width. It is our sincere hope that City Council will recognize this for the public safety issue it is and require the Applicant to redesign the approach to the hotel’s underground parking garage, so that it fully accommodates vehicles awaiting entry and those dropping off passengers at the surface level. Such an entry (as seen at many hotels) will allow for the hotel’s incoming traffic to await entry without blocking alleyway traffic when other vehicles are serving the gas station that shares the alleyway. This same solution also avoids any scenario where delivery vehicles would be prevented from performing their duties. Additionally, it serves both the Applicant and the City of Glendale by avoiding any potential liability claims due to property damage, personal injury, or fatality caused by approval of the currently poor and short-sighted design.
This is the first of our posts addressing the issue of alleyway traffic. As the date for our appeal hearing approaches, we will be posting further examples of these conditions in a series called “Alley traffic photo of the day.” Below is our first example. Continue reading →
Below is a list of links that include important information about the proposed hotel project’s site, plans, and design. One can find site environmental reports, site history, maps, Mitigated Negative Declaration documents, building plans, and resident feedback regarding the project. If you need a list of City of Glendale contact information, please visit our post: Contact Glendale City Officials, and a full list of City contact numbers.
