Montrose/Verdugo City/Sparr Heights Neighborhood Association P.O. Box 732
Verdugo City, CA 91046-0732
“Protecting our Paradise”
December 9, 2025
Mayor and City Council
City of Glendale
613 East Broadway, Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Re: CORO and Surplus Land Designation
Dear Mayor Najarian, Members of the City Council and City Staff:
The Montrose/Verdugo City/Sparr Heights Neighborhood Association in 1997 with the mission of uniting our neighbors to protect our quality of life. For nearly three decades we have been advocating for our neighborhoods through the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council and with the many community associations Glendale is fortunate to have. Our residents have shared their positions on the matters of the CORO and Surplus Land Use Designation with Council, City Staff and through petitions.
The Board of the MVSNA representing Montrose and adjoining neighborhoods supports:
Removal of the CORO from the Land Use Element of the General Plan Removal of the Surplus Land Designation for the City owned parking lots Agendizing these items on a future City Council agenda
We encourage the Council to act upon the comments of the many neighborhood associations through the GHCC and the residents of Glendale remove these items from the Land Use Element to develop and present a plan that enhances the quality of life in our City.
Sincerely,
Grant Michals
President, MVSNA
December 8, 2025
Mayor Ara Najarian Copy to Councilmembers, City Clerk 613 East Broadway Sent via email
Glendale, CA 91206
Re: GCC Meeting 12/9/2025, Item #13c
Dear Mayor Najarian,
I would like to respond to your mention of the Montrose Vision 20/20 plan (2016) and the comments made about it at the last City Council meeting on December 2, 2025. At the meeting, you stated that you seemed to recall that in the plan, stakeholders expressed a desire to increase foot traffic and add more parking, possibly through a multi-storied parking structure. The implication of your statements was that CORO allowing large multifamily apartments to be built on the Montrose “surplus” parking lots, would fulfill the goals of the plan. I am glad that you will be reviewing the plan for clarity.
I read the 24-page Vision plan this week. While residents and businessowners expressed a desire for a marketing strategy/rebranding in Montrose to increase foot traffic, nowhere in the plan did it identify residential housing as the solution to bring people to the Shopping Park. In fact, stakeholders expressed that making Montrose even more charming through a balance of businesses, artwork, and beautiful landscaping and hardscape, would attract more visitors.
Comments under Infrastructure: Goal 2 focused mainly on the physical appearance, safety, and usability of the parking lots with a possible Parking Advisory Committee being formed in the future. My question to you, Mr. Mayor: Was such a committee formed and what were their recommendations regarding the Montrose parking lots? I am confident that the response wasn’t to change the zoning to allow multi-storied, multifamily housing to be built there. Glendale should reconsider this poor decision.
One statement in the report stood out to me. On the first page it says, “It is your vision for your community.” That’s right. Let’s continue to work together, not at odds with each other, to make our community vision a reality and not harm Montrose.
Please re-agendize CORO and the SLA properties.
Sincerely,
Susan Bolan, Glendale Resident
[email protected]