Glendale Design Review Board approves 5‑story, 36‑unit Fairview Avenue housing project with design conditions

The Glendale Design Review Board voted 4‑0 on March 13, 2025 to approve design plans for a five‑story, 36‑unit residential building shown in staff materials as 21 East Fairview Avenue, requiring the applicant to add specified design details and minor program changes before final permits are issued.

The board’s action implements a previously approved density bonus housing plan and follows staff analysis that the project qualifies for a Class 32 (infill) CEQA exemption. The vote came after public comment raising questions about the site’s historical significance, neighborhood traffic and safety, and after the city’s historic preservation officer presented an analysis concluding the site is not a historic resource.

Staff described the project as a roughly 40,000‑square‑foot, five‑story building on an approximately 18,000‑square‑foot site that would replace several early‑20th‑century structures. The design includes a two‑level subterranean garage with 45 parking spaces (43 single‑access, 2 tandem), a mix of market‑rate and affordable units granted under a density bonus, and a reduced common outdoor space compared with code requirements. Staff said earlier approvals included a 50% density bonus that provided three very low‑income units and an additional 32.5% density bonus that provided two moderate‑income…