Sunroom Desk

Crescenta Valley Community Association’s request to accurately indicate the height of a proposed development on Foothill Boulevard by raising balloons along the perimeter was denied by the property owner. According to the Glendale News Press, developer Farshid Khosravi’s consultant, Rodney Khan, said that it would present liability issues if something were to go wrong. Further, such measurements done by professionals would be at a cost that “exceeds the owner’s financial ability at this point.”

I had no idea balloons were so dangerous, or so expensive. How much is it costing the developer to advocate a series of community-opposed overbuilt designs?

The Association wants to show neighbors exactly how high the proposed design will be. The developer and his consultant have used adjacent utility poles as an indicator of final height, but residents believe the utility poles (at 40 some feet) are at least 10 feet shorter than the proposed structure.

Why does the area need more development? Where is the demand for a three-story mixed-use office building with 164 subterranean garage parking spaces, along quiet Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta? I thought the economy was contracting…

The project returns to Glendale’s Design Review board for a final hearing on February 12, 2009, but will likely end up in front of the city council. Here is a recent review of the controversy in the Foothill Forum.