Living in a ‘Dust Bowl’

After living in Glendale 20 years, paying taxes, being respectful citizens of the community, we are now subjected to living in a “dust bowl.”

We realize we cannot stop progress, but when is the City of Glendale going to wake up to the fact that you are overbuilding apartments and condominiums. Have our city fathers stopped to anticipate our traffic problems, power usage, pollution, parking, etc.?

In the square block bounded by Palm Drive, Columbus Avenue, Pacific Avenue and Stocker Street, there are under construction four buildings, with two more due to start this month.

We cannot walk on the sidewalk anymore. On Columbus the contractor has conveniently built himself a mud driveway (so his trucks can go up and down the site easily). This blocks the flow of water from going up and down, therefore we have dirt and dust from traffic using the 1100 block of Columbus. The street sweeper can only drag the dirt up and down the street, creating a worse mess.

Now the straw that broke the camel’s back. In order to accommodate all these new buildings, we must install electricity underground. On Dec. 8, the city dug four-inch trenches in the street. The next day they were supposedly called to another emergency job, leaving us with more dirt and dust and dangerous gouges in the street.

In conclusion, does the City of Glendale have a master plan or are we going to just let contractors build tomorrow’s slums today? The majority of apartment buildings look like boxes and eight units are crammed on lots where once lovely old houses stood. If this is progress, it stinks, and you better wake up Glendale!

Luigia Sartor

Glendale