Glendale Arts Colony Begins Construction

Rendering by Meta Housing Corporation. View along Kenwood Ave. looking north.

Another new affordable housing development, in conjunction with the Glendale YMCA, began construction in December 2014 at 121 N. Kenwood Street. The apartment building with art gallery will be an asset to the growing Entertainment District in downtown Glendale. Lease up of the new apartments is projected for June 2016.

Known as the Glendale Arts Colony, the development will provide 69 affordable live/work housing units for low and very low income households with a preference for those households in the creative workforce industry (working artists) who currently live and/or work in Glendale. It will also have a 1,000 square foot art gallery to be used by residents of the project, as well as the greater Glendale arts community. 

If there are not a sufficient number of Glendale or other artists to fill the units, the development will accept other low income households.

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Parking Downtown Gets Easier

Downtown Glendale is bustling with world class shopping, dining and entertainment. It's about to get even better thanks to an upcoming public parking way-finding improvement project funded by an Advanced Wayfinding and Guidance System Grant.

New signs showing real-time parking space availability will be installed at key intersections in downtown Glendale and at the entrances to the Orange Street, Exchange and Marketplace public parking structures, taking the guesswork out of finding the best place to park. 

Expect to see these improvements sometime in late 2015 to early 2016. 

About the Advanced Wayfinding and Guidance System Grant

A comprehensive wayfinding and parking sign program for Downtown Glendale was approved by Council in 2011.  This program was to be funded by the City’s Redevelopment Agency, but because the State of California dissolved the Redevelopment Agency in 2012 the funding was lost.  Since then, staff sought alternate resources to fund individual components of the program and was awarded the Advanced Wayfinding and Guidance System Grant through Metro’s Call for Projects Grant program.

The grant awards $694,026 for the installation of a comprehensive system of parking signs in downtown Glendale.  It will include installing directional signs to downtown parking facilities and updating identification signs for public parking lots.  However, the most significant part of the program will be the installation of signs containing real-time availability of parking spaces at key intersections in downtown Glendale and at the entrances to the Orange Street, Exchange, and Marketplace public parking structures.

Please contact Mike Nilsson, Senior Mobility Planner, for additional information at (818) 937-8164.

CDD Profiles: Fred Zohrehvand

Welcome to the inaugural issue of CDD Profiles. Today we highlight Fred Zohrehvand, Senior Transportation Planner. Fred plays a pivotal role in the planning and programming of transportation projects in Glendale including acquiring transportation funding, implementing pedestrian & bicycle safety plans and more.

The transportation projects he plans and programs include anything that helps provide safe and efficient travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and public transportation riders of all ages. Transportation projects range from education and outreach programs to engineering and building road improvements. Fred plans, programs and secures funding for these projects that are ultimately implemented or built by other branches of the City, such as the Public Works Engineering team.

The Nuts & Bolts

Grants & Compliance

Fred actively seeks, secures, and manages transportation funding from federal, state, and local sources to implement related projects and oversees their regulatory compliance.  He applies for funding including writing grant applications, and manages ongoing reporting, compliance and audits. Fred was instrumental in the City receiving its fair share of Measure R funds of  $98 Million for various transportation projects to be implemented over the 30-year span of Measure R life.