Glendale council denies stage‑2 approval for 682‑unit Sears redevelopment; alley vacation also rejected

Glendale — The City Council on Oct. 21 denied final (stage‑2) design review for a proposed 682‑unit mixed‑use project at the former Sears site at 236 North Central Avenue and, in a separate vote, rejected the applicant's request to vacate a public alley that would have been reconfigured to serve the development.

The votes came after more than three hours of public testimony and planning‑staff presentations. Councilmembers Zasadirian, Brotman and Kasakian voted to deny the design review; one councilmember recused themself from the matter and Mayor Ara Najarian voted against denial. The alley vacation likewise failed with the same roll‑call pattern.

The project would have replaced the long‑vacant department store and adjacent auto site with an eight‑story, 682‑unit building, 1,515 square feet of retail and a 164,000‑square‑foot parking structure. The applicant proposed dedicating the former auto site (about 0.87 acre) to the city “in lieu” of paying park impact fees, a move staff characterized as one of several options that could satisfy the city's park mitigation requirements before a certificate of occupancy.

Why it mattered

The proposal drew sharply divided views at the hearing. Supporters said the site, near downtown and transit, was appropriate for dense housing and would generate tax revenue, new housing stock and a small public park. Opponents — including nearby residents, local design reviewers and several council members — pressed the developer on the project’s massing, the amount and quality of public open space, the scale of retail, the loss of a potential historic façade, and neighborhood traffic and parking impacts.

Staff presentation and legal context

City planning staff said the application had…