Glendale Studies Land-Use in Effort to Cap Population

In a new attempt to resolve how to limit Glendale’s population to no more than 220,000 as recommended in the General Plan, the Glendale City Council on Tuesday earmarked $40,000 to hire a private company to conduct a land use survey.

The survey would identify areas of the city now zoned for apartments but predominantly occupied by single homes where residents could voluntarily agree to have their neighborhoods reclassified for single-family homes.

The survey will also determine the average number of people per household, and provide a clearer picture of how many housing units the city can tolerate before exceeding its desired population ceiling.

The council has been divided over what zoning restrictions should be adopted to keep the city’s population from skyrocketing.

Mayor Jerold Milner and council members Carl Raggio and Ginger Bremberg proposed cutting the potential for apartment construction by half.

But Councilmen Dick Jutras and Larry Zarian have opposed this solution, contending that it is too drastic and would drive property prices beyond the reach of all but a few.

Zarian and Jutras said Tuesday that the land-use survey will help them identify alternative ways of complying with the population limits without imposing severe zoning restrictions on apartment and condominium owners.