CITY OF GLENDALE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ...

617 South Brand Blvd,
Page 3 of5
on-site improvements include the demolition of an illegal wood patio, the landscaping and
restriping of the parking lot, the repainting of the exterior of the building and the remodel of the
interior, the construction of a car wash bay, and the re-roofing of the built-up roof. As such,
theproposal takes a vacant commercial building and a parking lot currently used for vehicle
storage and combines the two parcels into a unified development with a viable use,
complementary to the adjacent auto-related businesses,
b. The proposed use, and the character of buildings, structures, and other improvements
shall be of such character as not to cause the nature of the local environment to materially
depreciate in appearance, usability or value.
The proposed car rental and leasing use, not to mention the actual on-site physical improvements
associated with the project, are not anticipated to cause the surrounding area to materially
depreciate in appearance, usability or value. On the contrary, the project will enhance and
compliment the existing neighborhood, comprised of a variety of auto-related and general
retail/service uses and a mix of building types, The project site, with its approximately 5,600 sq,ft.
building and adjacent parking lot, is located in the South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan (SBBSP)
area and is zoned Commercial Specialty ("CS") with a Design Development Overlay ("DO"), The
purpose of the CS zone is to provide areas of specialized, concentrated commercial development
of a nature complementary to the mixed commercial zones in the specific plan area, Despite the
fact that auto dealerships and vehicle sales, leasing and rental businesses are found all along
South Brand Boulevard, car rental, leasing and sales are not currently listed as permitted uses in
the CS zone. The CS zoning applies to the west side of Brand Boulevard for one-half block north
and one-half block south of Maple Street; all other neighboring properties along Brand Boulevard
in the immediate area are zoned Commercial Auto/Office ("CAlO") or Commercial
Auto/Commercial Specialty ("CAlCS") (see Exhibit 2), Unlike the CS zone, the CAlO and CAICS
zones focus on auto-related uses and permit the rental, leasing and sales of vehicles,
c. The proposed building or structure and uses thereof shall be compatible with
developments of land in the general area. Consideration of scale, height, bulk, materials,
cohesiveness, community, traffic sight distance, the desirability of preserving a sense of
open space, and the need for privacy are deemed to be important considerations of
compatibility.
The project is compatible with neighboring developments in terms of scale, height, mass, materials,
cohesiveness, community, traffic sight distance, preservation of a sense of open space and need
for privacy. The remodel of the existing one-story building will not change the low scale and
restrained massing of the existing building; the majority of the building has an overall height of 14'-
6" and an additional two foot cornice pop-up for the proposed wall sign to mark the main entrance is
proposed. This overall roof height is similar to or less than the surrounding 1-, 2- and 3-story
commercial developments along Brand Boulevard, The main entrance and office area of the Lshaped
building are recessed from the front property line and are buffered from Brand Boulevard by
additional parking, thereby further reducing the building's impact on the street. All building
elevations will be repainted, with cornice details and pilasters painted in an accent color, resulting in
a unified look throughout. Meanwhile, the parking lot will be enhanced by required shade trees and
perimeter landscaping planters; these enhancements will not obstruct the corner visibility of the
project site or the traffic sight lines, With the remodel of the existing building and the parking lot upgrade,
the project will preserve the site's sense of openness and not present an appearance of an
over-built or over-concentrated development. Furthermore, given that the building is oriented
towards Brand Boulevard, and except for an existing emergency access door and window, there
are no other openings along the westerly or northerly building elevations, the directly adjacent
properties have their privacy needs met. Therefore, the project appears to be compatible with
developments in the general area,
d. The proposed development shall be in conformity with applicable regulations and
standards, and other ordinances, insofar as the location and appearance of the buildings
and structures are involved.
The project conforms with the applicable standards of the SSBSP, including the Commercial
Specialty ("CS") zone and Design Development overlay, following approval of Use Variance Case
No, PVAR 2010-029, The South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan states that CS areas are intended