Plan to Move House Hits a Roadblock

Plans to relocate a historic Victorian home in a residential area and convert it into offices suffered a setback last week when a Glendale zoning administrator denied approval for the move.

But Sal Gangi, the Glendale developer who submitted the proposal, said he will appeal the decision to the Board of Zoning Adjustments and, if necessary, take the issue to the City Council.

Gangi has entered into an agreement to buy the E. D. Goode house and renovate it, contingent upon obtaining city approval to move the 98-year-old structure to a residentially zoned parcel he owns on Monterey Road near the Ventura Freeway.

The Glendale developer has also requested a zoning variance that would allow him to use the structure as his firm’s commercial offices.

Preservationists Opposed

City preservationists oppose the move, saying that the house, one of two remaining examples of Queen Anne-Eastlake architecture in Glendale, will lose some of its historical importance if moved from the original setting at 119 N. Cedar St.

A group of neighbors who live in the residential area on or near Monterey Road also oppose the move, saying that the architecture is not in keeping with their neighborhood. They also said they fear that using the house for commercial offices will cause traffic, noise and parking problems.

On Friday, Zoning Administrator John McKenna found that granting the variance would be detrimental to the welfare of the Monterey Road neighborhood and that there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant the variance.

Gangi has 15 days to appeal that decision.