UBLIC HEARING: Director of Development ... - City of Glendale

4. 6. Land Use
border. adjacent to the Los Angeles River. There are no floor area ratio restrictions in the t\f-l
zone.
The height limitation in the M-l zone is 35 feet. In order to maximize usable open
space adjacent to and among the individual structures and for either aesthetic purposes, elements
of the project would be taller than this limit. Each of the primary structures would consist of
rather complex building forms with multiple roofs at varying levels. These structures would
vary from 30 to 65 feet in height. Several architectural towers, or campaniles, would be
approximately 65 feet in height, while one such tower may be as high as 115 feet. A height
variance is proposed which would allow each on-site structure to exceed 35 feet and the
campaniles to be 65 feet and, in the one instance, up to 115 feet high.
In instances when rigorous application of the development standards in a given zoning
district would serve to frustrate rather than implement the objectives of the Redevelopment Plan
and/or General Plan, and where no unacceptable adverse consequences are anticipated, variances
are the mechanism by which appropriate adjustments are made. Supported by appropriate
findings, variances when approved are not inconsistent with General Plan policy or zoning intent
in an area.
Aesthetics. The project site is visible from the adjacent properties to the east and west,
from Flower Street, and from the levee and proposed bike path along the south side of the Los
Angeles River chaIlllel. The site can also be seen from traffic on the westbound Ventura (SR­
134) and northbound Golden State (1-5) Freeways.
The proposed project would improve the appearance of the project site and provide a
beneficial effect in the Redevelopment Area. The project consists of an integral complex of
multiple structures articulated with variable heights and roof lines. It has been designed in a
Mediterranean style clustered around a "piazza II and interconnected with arcades, verandas, and
bridges. Figures 6, 7 and 8 on pages 56, 57 and 58 depict the project upon completion of the
structures except those intended at the east and west ends of the site. The proposed buildings
would be two to four stories high, ranging from 30,000 to 85,000 square feet of floor area
each. Included among the buildings would be courtyards, terraces, patios, and several
architectural towers. A parking structure with five levels above ground is also proposed. A
helipad would be located on top of the parking structure. Landscaping features may include an
ornamental garden/water feature and a grove of trees adjacent to the Los Angeles River, which
would act as a visual and acoustic buffer from the freeways to the south and west. The grove
of trees along the Los Angeles River and other usable landscaped open space areas are estimated
to occupy approximately 2.5 acres, or twenty percent of the site. Project development would
Planning ConsulLanlS Resl:arch
Glendale Redevelopment Agenq'
Page 55
DreamWorks Animation Campus Addendwn EIR
June 1996