Special session to look into Link development

Design plans for a proposed mixed-use apartment building in the San Fernando Road Corridor will get a second look by the Glendale City Council next week.

In a special session on Tuesday, council members will hold a public hearing on construction of the five-story structure, which will involve the demolition of a building that the Glendale Historical Society wants to save.

Council members will decide whether to certify the project’s final environmental impact report, as well as whether to approve the second stage of the design, plans for signage and a conditional-use permit.

Councilman Ara Najarian, who describes himself as a proponent of slow-development growth, gave his approval to the preliminary design “grudgingly” in May.

“I’m going to listen very carefully,” Najarian said on Friday. “My general position has been that we have more than enough units being built downtown and that includes the San Fernando Corridor as well.”

The building, known as the Link, is proposed to be built on a roughly 1-acre site at the corner of Central Avenue and San Fernando Road, according to the staff report.

The developer, Glendale-based Kareco Inc., estimated the project will cost $24.8 million, generating an estimated $33,700 annually from property taxes for the city.

Kareco’s proposal for the building includes 142 rental units, of which 12 will be designated for low-income residents. It also features retail space on the ground floor, as well as a swimming pool, fitness center and bike shop.

To clear the way for the new complex, two commercial buildings constructed in 1930 will need to be demolished, one of which the Glendale Historical Society has been advocating should be saved.

They maintain that the building has architectural and historical significance at the state and local levels.

“We believe that the building should be preserved,” said Greg Grammer, the society’s president. “It should be retained and incorporated into the project.”

The only change noted in the staff report since the council approved the initial project design is the relocation of an arch element on the building from Central Avenue to a public alley. It was moved to help maintain a clean design, according to the staff report.

-- Emily Foxhall, emily.foxhall@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter: @emfoxhall.