Does Glendale Need a Grove of its Own? Voters Decide Tues.
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Franklin Avenue points us to the impending referendum Tuesday on whether Glendale should let The Grove's creator Rick Caruso build "Americana at BrandBroad," a new temple of commerce (okay, a big mall) smack at downtown Glendale's center.
Naturally, the owners of the Glendale Galleria are trying to push their own failed refurbishment proposal, calling it superior to Caruso's plan because it offers
-No Billboards
-Keeps Harvard and Orange Streets Open
-Protects Open Space
-Less Traffic
-Saves Historic Buildings
The $251 Caruso deal is fairly generous, sweetened as it is by a land grant from the city that Caruso's own site values at $65 million. If it's half as well-crafted as the Grove (though I still don't understand the cost/benefit of world's shortest trolley ride, which probably sucks up a mammoth amount of juice and will need an extremely expensive battery change ere long) - then Glendale could return to the shopping-mecca status it enjoyed before the dotcom bust and general economic downturn began damaging the Galleria's currency.
Posted by: mack_reed on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 06:04 PM
