Montrose to be ‘Old Town’

The Glendale City Council is expected to vote next week to declare Montrose Glendale’s official Old Town, as part of a series of moves planned to promote the future of the local business district. If all goes as planned, Mayor Ara Najarian will present the recognition at Montrose’s 95th birthday celebration on Sunday, Feb. 24.

“If Darlene will take my son to his swim meet in El Monte, I’ll be happy to attend,” Najarian said. He asked if the designation should be spelled “Olde Towne,” but was assured that wasn’t necessary.

Councilman John Drayman said the idea of such recognition would not be like Pasadena’s Old Town, a booming entertainment and commercial district with high-priced real estate.

The council members eventually crafted a motion to ask City Manager James Starbird to come back with a work plan for short and long-term measures to secure the future of Montrose in light of concerns over rising property values and competition from other parking districts.

The planning department has taken the lead in surveying ideas about the future of the area, but planning director Hassan Haghani deferred to Starbird on future plans.

“He’s not only the planning director, he’s a smart man,” Starbird said. He promised to bring together various city departments to develop a work plan and budget numbers.

Part of that plan could involve bringing in a consultant to work with merchants on economic issues, a suggestion made by Councilman Bob Yousefian. Councilman John Drayman agreed with the idea of hiring a consultant, though he said he didn’t want just another in a long line of surveys such as the city just completed.

One of the proposals brought in by the planners was to make Montrose the first community in a general plan revision likely to begin shortly. This idea didn’t draw much enthusiasm from the council.

Planner Alan Loomis reported on community meetings and surveys which generally found support for keeping a small business mix in the shopping district, which has been nicknamed “Mayberry” by some residents.

There were some suggestions about promoting more nighttime business in the area, an idea which the president of the Montrose Shopping District said might not work if mom and pop businesses are to survive. “Mom and Pop are already working 12 hours a day, six days a week,” Dale Dawson, Montrose Shopping Park president, said.

Dawson pressented a series of suggestions, one of them to establish a trolley system to serve the area.

Drayman expanded on the idea, saying a trolley could serve Sparr Heights and Verdugo Hills Hospital, as well as La Crescenta.

Starbird promised to bring back numbers on such a system, though he cautioned it would likely be costly.

Drayman said consideration might also be needed on the mix of businesses, saying in the 2200 block of Honolulu, “about 975 feet,” there are 18 eating establishments. Dawson said one building which recently sold has seen two former stores replaced with food establishments.

Council members were also interested in suggestions about façade changes and a sign district for the area, to promote the historical ambience.