Design Review Board approves five‑story storage facility on San Fernando Road with landscaping and perimeter‑fence condition

The Glendale Design Review Board voted Dec. 11 to approve a five‑story self‑storage building at 4415–4417 San Fernando Road, subject to staff conditions including an updated landscape plan to screen a transformer and an added perimeter‑fence design. The project qualified for a parking reduction under AB 2097.

Staff described the site as roughly 56,200 square feet in an industrial zoning district and said the proposed building footprint totals about 281,485 square feet, including two basement levels. Per the staff presentation, the zoning would normally require 283 on‑site parking spaces but the project qualified for a parking reduction under AB 2097; the applicant proposes nine standard parking spaces and 10 loading spaces at grade (staff described the project as meeting loading requirements and encouraged additional landscape screening at the transformer).

Applicant representatives (Pattern Planning & Development and Magellan Architects) said the building is set back about 150 feet from San Fernando Road and will be minimally visible from major intersections. The team described internal circulation, truck staging zones and gated access; they said typical moving vehicles will be vans and box trucks rather than semi‑trailers and that typical staffing would be low (one to three employees). Board members asked whether landscape islands near the staging area could be relocated to provide additional maneuvering room for truck staging; the applicant said the team would consider shifting or reducing landscape in that zone while preserving screening functions.

During public comment, a nearby property owner raised questions about a parking area that appeared on one sketch but not others and asked why the project is five stories where nearby properties are mostly three; applicant representatives replied the 50‑foot height and program are allowed by zoning and that the below‑grade levels are for storage accessed by elevator.

Board member Simonian moved to approve the project with the staff‑recommended conditions and the requested modification to include fence/perimeter design in the landscaping package; the motion passed in roll call (Simonian yes; Welch yes; Chair Pro Tem Hallajian yes).