An environmental report offers up a first look at a proposed apartment complex that would replace the current headquarters of the Glendale Unified School District.
The project is proposed as part of a land swap arrangement with developer Carmel Partners, in which the San Francisco-based firm would transfer ownership of an existing office building in Downtown Glendale to serve as the school district's new headquarters. In exchange, Carmel would take control of the existing headquarters at 223 N. Jackson Street, where the company has filed plans to construct a four-story complex featuring 192 apartments. Two existing buildings, located at 231 and 241 Jackson Street, would be refurbished to create 15 additional housing units.
The proposed development would provide 244 parking spaces within an internal garage, featuring both above- and below-grade levels. The development qualified for a reduced parking requirement of 0.5 spaces per bedroom through State Density Bonus law.
Architects Orange is designing the Jackon Street development, which is portrayed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Site plans show multiple internal decks within the project, intended to provide open space for residents.
Carmel and the school district have been pursuing this land-swap arrangement for several years, though the proposal ran into a stumbling block in 2017, when the Glendale Planning Commission rejected an earlier version of the development due to a lack of on-site affordable housing. Carmel will set aside 17 apartments as affordable housing in the updated project.
Construction is expected to occur over roughly 25 months, though a groundbreaking date has not been announced.
Carmel's most recent Glendale project, the 507-unit Altana apartments, was completed in 2016.
