Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 76 No. 45
Inside This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
NEWS................. 8 City launches Foster Youth Initiative to help transitions
BUSINESS ....... 19 Businesses salute military with Veterans Day deals
www.glendalestar.com
Entertainment district is hot, hot, hot BY TOM SCANLON
exciting mega-projects fade into oblivGlendale esta en fuego. ion are taking an While the city’s economy is “I’ll believe it when fire-hot, that sentence is also I see it” attitude on literal: En Fuego is charging the lagoon project, ahead, bringing another key En Fuego is happiece to Glendale’s Sports and pening. Entertainment District. Across Glendale En Fuego will be a collection Avenue from Westof restaurants—including a gate Entertainment “first-of-its-kind” niche sports District, En Fuego bar—and shops across Glen- As construction continues, En Fuego is almost fully leased, with shops and restaurants to open broke ground dale Avenue from the Westgate soon across from Westgate Entertainment Center. One mile south, Stonehaven plans more than March 16—just 600 homes in the booming Sports and Entertainment District. (Image courtesy Diversified Partners) Entertainment District. weeks before the Just south of Westgate and State Farm plans to set up shop between Stonehaven COVID-19 pandemic led to business shutStadium, Taylor Morrison Homes is plan- and State Farm Stadium. Last month, Glen- downs around Glendale and beyond. ning a massive expansion of its Stonehav- dale City Council approved a preliminary Yet the development is blazing ahead en project. On Thursday, Nov. 5, the de- pitch for what could be the biggest project and almost entirely booked, according to veloper was to ask the Glendale Planning to hit the city: an 11-acre, lagoon-style wa- Julie Harris of Diversified Partners, the En Commission to approve plans for “a 628 ter park surrounded by a hotel, amusement Fuego developer. She said Walt Brown Jr., single-family residential subdivision” near park, entertainment center, offices, shops, the Scottsdale-based owner of Diversified Cardinal and 91st avenues. restaurants and bars. Partners, closed on the property in DecemThen there is Crystal Lagoons, which While some who have witnessed other SEE DISTRICT PAGE 4
Glendale Star Managing Editor
Council appoints judges, approves development BY TYLER BUDGE
Glendale Star Contributing Writer
FEATURES ....... 22 An Austentatious idea: ‘Pride & Prejudice & Zoom’
OPINION..................... 14 BUSINESS.................. 18 SPORTS ...................... 20 FEATURES.................. 22 RELIGION ................... 24 YOUTH........................ 26 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 31
November 5, 2020
The Glendale City Council reappointed John Burkholder, a veteran city judge, to a four-year term at its Oct. 27 meeting. Council also appointed Nicholas DiPiazza to a two-year term as presiding city judge. Prior to his appointment, DiPiazza served as the deputy city attorney to the Glendale Police Department as legal advisor. Council unanimously appointed DiPiazza with no comments and no questions from the public. “I pledge to earn your trust every day,” DiPiazza said. The meeting went over a wide array of subjects, spanning 32 items, including the
reappointment of Burkholder, who has served as a city judge in Glendale since 1995. His previous term expired Oct. 31. “Based on the results of his reappointment interview, letters of recommendation received on his behalf, confidential survey results and other materials, it was widely recommended that the council reappoint Burkholder to another term,” said Jim Brown, Glendale’s director of human resources. Council also approved a request by the developer of a 65-acre project called Desert River II at the northwest corner of 99th Avenue and Desert River Boulevard. The location is between Northern and Glendale avenues in the central part of the city. A minor general plan amendment and
rezoning changes the site from business park to entertainment mixed use and allows for a variety of development. According to a Glendale Planning Commission report, the developer requests increasing maximum heights from 30 feet to 150 feet. “Desert River II will provide a mix of commercial, office, retail, hotel and multi-family uses,” the report said. The site is to include “walking paths, bicycling lanes, outdoor gathering spaces and multi-use trails to link business park, multi-family and supportive retail uses, thereby creating a unique and dynamic working and shopping environment which will attract high-paying and diverse emSEE JUDGES PAGE 4