Glendale design board hears resident objections to 5‑story, 40‑unit Kenwood project; offers advisory comments to council

The Glendale Design Review Board on Aug. 28 reviewed advisory plans for a proposed 5‑story, 40‑unit housing project at 126–128 South Kenwood Street and accepted public comment but did not vote. Staff, the applicant and many nearby residents discussed building massing, setbacks, parking and potential impacts to a neighboring historic house; the board agreed to forward design comments and recommendations to City Council for the project’s Stage 2 review.

Shoike Premian, the project case planner, told the board the hearing was advisory: “No votes. No approval, denial, just, advisory. Staff is looking forward to your comments, recommendations, which then will be, taken to City Council for stage 2 approval.” The proposal calls for demolition of an existing 1,592‑square‑foot house and construction of a 45,983‑square‑foot, five‑story multifamily building with two levels of subterranean parking, 69 parking spaces, balconies, a rooftop sundeck and 1,500 square feet of publicly accessible open space. Staff said the site lies in the Downtown Specific Plan East Broadway District and that the project is claimed to be CEQA‑exempt as a Class 32 infill development; staff also noted a density‑bonus approval and earlier Stage 1 council direction to relocate public open space from the north to the south of the site.

Why it matters: the building would sit immediately north of a single‑story historic house identified as locally significant (the Reverend Cole property) and directly across from a 35‑unit condominium at 118 South Kenwood. Dozens of nearby residents testified that the revised design, which flips the primary courtyard and places public open space on the south…