Glendale : Ban on Hillside Building

An 18-month moratorium on hillside development is expected to be extended until next April to allow city planners to complete studies on proposed new building standards and to develop a policy for managing parks and open space.

The City Council on Tuesday introduced an ordinance extending the moratorium, which was scheduled to expire Oct. 1. The ordinance will be considered for adoption Tuesday.

The moratorium was adopted in March, 1990, following widespread criticism from residents after a developer was allowed to slice off a prominent ridgeline in the Verdugo Woodlands area. The city’s existing General Plan protects primary ridgelines but has no rules to prohibit grading of secondary ridgelines such as the Verdugo Woodlands site.