There is no sidewalk on Glendale Blvd adjacent to the Sam Menlo-owned River Glen Apartments. (Click on photo to enlarge.)The wide swath of grass between the River Glen Apartments and Glendale Blvd. is intended as a future City street dedication. Glendale Blvd. could really use a dedicated left turn lane from Glendale Blvd onto Riverside Drive. However, it's not required by City Planning as a part of the current Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for 2600-2750 Riverside Drive.
As mitigation for allowing the zone variance for the existing 157 units as well as approval for another 120 units on the vacant land south of the River Glen Apts on Riverside Drive, the City should, at the very minimum, require Menlo to build the sidewalk the length of their property on Glendale Blvd. But the current MND does not require it.
According to a neighbor on Waverly, when the City approved 63 condo units for the old Monte Sano Hospital site, the City included a condition requiring construction of a sidewalk the entire length of the Monte Sano Property on Glendale Blvd. The Monte Sano developer never broke ground after it was approved for the 63 condos earlier this decade.
The Monte Sano site is directly adjacent to the Menlo Property. They are the only two properties on the southeast side of Glendale Blvd between Waverly and Riverside Drive.
The cumulative effects of a sidewalk on both the Monte Sano and Menlo properties on Glendale Blvd. would improve pedestrian safety and encourage more people to walk to the LA River and Atwater from Silver Lake. Unless developers are required to do these things when a discretionary action by the City is involved, they never get done.
The Menlo Property goes to public hearing January 6, 2010.
