DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
ADVISORY REVIEW AND COMMENTS
Meeting Date September 11, 202 5 DRB Case No. PDR-003195-2024
Address 236 North Central Avenue,
201 West California Avenue, &
212 West California Avenue
Applicant Maple Multi-Family Land
CA, LP, a Delaware limited
partnership
Project Summary:
The project location is a 4.57-acre site located at 236 North Central Avenue and 212 W.
California Avenue, and 201 West California Avenue and consists of two sites: (i) a 3.7-acre Mixed-Use Building Site and (ii) a 0.87-acre Potential Public Park Site, both located within the Downtown Specific Plan-Orange Central District.
The Mixed-Use Building Site, located at 236 North Central Avenue and 212 West California Avenue, is bounded to the north by West California Avenue, to the west by North Central Avenue, and to the east by North Orange Street, includes four parcels (APNs: 5642-015-045, 5642-015-056, 5642-015-057, and 5642-015-058) and is bisected by Alley 239, an 18 foot wide public alley. Project proposes the demolition of the176,629 square-foot three-story retail building (former Sears Department Store), 164,308 square-foot three-level parking structure and a small asphalt surface parking lot and to construct a new 8-story, 655,418 square-foot, Mixed-Use Building that includes 682 residential units comprised of 37 Studio units, 493 One- Bedroom units, 135 Two-Bedroom, 1 Three-Bedroom unit, 16 Live/Work units and a retail/restaurant space at the ground floor. The Project would contain a total of 72 residential units affordable to very low- and low-income households.
The Potential Public Park Site, located at 201 West California Avenue on the northwest corner of North Orange Avenue and West California Avenue, includes three parcels (APNs 5643-020- 038, 5643-020-039, and 5643-020-040). This Site, currently developed with two vehicle repair buildings totaling 15,933 square-feet and associated surface parking, is being made available for purchase by the City of Glendale for potential demolition and development of a public park.
CC_10212025_Exhibit 10 - Stage II (Advisory) DRB Record of Decision
Design Review: Board Member Present Absent Halajian X Lockareff X Kaskanian X Simonian X Welch X Site Planning • The Project site has a Mixed-Use Commercial designation along Central Avenue, Mixed-Use Residential along California Avenue and the northern part of Orange Street, and the southern part of Orange Street is undesignated. Setback requirements vary by designation: 18 feet for Mixed-Use Commercial streets, 16 feet for Mixed-Use Residential streets, and 10 feet for undesignated streets. The project meets all these required streetscape and setback standards on its three frontages. • The Project includes publicly accessible open spaces such as courtyard/plaza areas at the northeast and northwest corners and a mid-block pedestrian paseo with courtyard/plaza entries along the southern street frontages. These spaces are fully open to the sky, accessible from public streets, and are designed with concrete paving bands, concrete seats with wooden tops, metal tree planters, and wooden benches. • Landscaping is provided at the ground, second and top floor levels with a variety of California-friendly trees, such as Crape Myrtle, California Sycamore, Mesa Oak, Western Rosebud and Italian Cypress, and a variety of low to moderate water shrubs, such as Foxtail Agave, Dwarf Olive, Jerusalem Sage, Rosemary, Cleveland Sage and manzanita. Mass and Scale • The project includes four ground-floor residential lobby entrances set back from the street but still connected to the public realm through corner plazas and courtyards and satisfies DSP standards by incorporating distinctive materials, canopy features, glazing, and paving that clearly define pedestrian entry paths and integrate with the overall building design. • The project incorporates a mix of traditional and modern materials—such as metal panels, Trespa laminate, fiber cement siding, plaster, thin brick, concrete tiles, and cast-in-place concrete—to support a contemporary design. These quality materials align with DSP standards promoting human-scaled design and a pedestrian-friendly public realm. • The project complies with DSP roofline variation requirements by incorporating height differences of 12'-1" to 33'-9" along street-facing elevations, helping to break up building mass and create a dynamic silhouette. Additionally, upper floor setbacks ranging from
6'-5" to 48'-0" reduce visual bulk and enhance a more human-scaled, welcoming street presence. Design and Detailing • The project includes four ground-floor residential lobby entrances set back from the street but still connected to the public realm through corner plazas and courtyards and satisfies DSP standards by incorporating distinctive materials, canopy features, glazing, and paving that clearly define pedestrian entry paths and integrate with the overall building design. • The project incorporates a mix of traditional and modern materials—such as metal panels, Trespa laminate, fiber cement siding, plaster, thin brick, concrete tiles, and cast-in-place concrete—to support a contemporary design. These quality materials align with DSP standards promoting human-scaled design and a pedestrian-friendly public realm. • The project complies with DSP roofline variation requirements by incorporating height differences of 12'-1" to 33'-9" along street-facing elevations, helping to break up building mass and create a dynamic silhouette. Additionally, upper floor setbacks ranging from 6'-5" to 48'-0" reduce visual bulk and enhance a more human-scaled, welcoming street presence. Design Review Board Comments: Design Review Board concurred with the City Council Stage I approval subject to the City Council comments provided on December 6, 2022 (Stage I Design Review); and provided additional, following comments: 1. That the Orange Street façade appears to the most sucessful in terms of architectural variety. 2. The Project should redesign each of its four corners with enhanced architectural components to create a signature gateway at each corner of the building. 3. Incorporate design elements of the Sears Tower façade along with Art Deco/Streamlined Moderne design language into the Project’s design at the corner of West California Avenue and North Central Avenue, creating a signature gateway that reflects the spirit of the former Sears Tower. 4. Additional retail or commercial space should be provided at the ground floor, supplemental to the provided 1,515 square-feet of floor area. 5. The Project should be redesigned with a connection with the potential public park. 6. Provide a designated drop-off zone for ride share, loading for new residents, and/or loading area for delivery packages within proximity of residential mailboxes. 7. The greenery at the Orange Street façade and on the sixth and eighth floor upper levels introduces natural elements and offers visual relief, particularly within the open spaces at these levels. The integration of greenery at the upper floors should be thoughtfully incorporated into the building’s overall design, especially along California Avenue.
8. That the paseo should incorporate connections with the connected streets (Orange Street and North Central) such as kiosks, game area (e.g. chess), and congregation areas to incentives outdoor activities (e.g. City sponsored concerts) to create opportunities that revitalize the DSP. The addition of a restaurant with an outdoor patio that adjoins the paseo to enhance activation and further revitalization goals. 9. The paseo should incorporate connections to the surrounding streets (Orange Street and North Central) through activating features such as retail kiosks, game areas (e.g., chess), and gathering spaces to encourage outdoor activities (e.g. concerts) and opportunities that help revitalize the DSP. The addition of a restaurant with an outdoor patio adjoining the paseo would further enhance activation. 10. Consider the addition of neighborhood market at the building’s ground floor to support residences and enhance symbiotic relationship with surrounding development. 11. Color for vinyl windows throughout the building should avoid the color white and match the color scheme shown in the elevations and rendered perspectives, such as silver, espresso, or brown. As a consideration, in lieu of vinyl material, a higher-quality and durable material, such as fiberglass, should be considered. DRB Staff Member Dennis Joe, Principal Planner