Los Angeles Daily News - April 27, 2006
by Alex Dobuzinskis

GLENDALE - A career college trying to move downtown faces an uphill battle to persuade city officials that putting cash-starved students there would be great for retail shops.

Pasadena-based real estate company Dorn Platz is trying to put Glendale Career College at 240 N. Brand Blvd., even though the Redevelopment Agency last year rejected the two companies' request to let students park in a city lot.

Freeing up valuable parking for students with limited cash to burn in local shops was not a good idea for downtown businesses, officials said. But since then, Dorn Platz has come back with a new project plan and a pitch that students are good for downtown.

"Look at any major cities. They all have schools downtown," said Brad Barnes, vice president at Dorn Platz. "The school brings a very vibrant, young, great demographic to the downtown."

Many students have disposable income because they live with parents, Barnes said.

Glendale Career College, which mainly trains students to work for physicians and hospitals, is at 1015 Grandview Ave. It serves more than 300 students, according to numbers released last year.

Last month, Dorn Platz came to the Redevelopment Agency again with a plan to put the college at 240 N. Brand, but incorporate it into a larger project. Everything in the half-block north of the Alex Theatre would be rebuilt, creating a mix of condos and shops.

The college would use parking spaces at the city's Orange Street Garage only for three years, during construction of an underground parking lot.

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alex.dobuzinskis@dailynews.com, (818) 546-3304

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