(October 4, 2004) — With the polls closed since 8 p.m. and the percentage of votes counted nearing 100%, Glendalelinos inside the yes and no on measures ABC headquarters awaited the results that would determine if their hard work was worth it. By 11:52 p.m. Sept. 14, supporters of measure ABC celebrated as all three measures passed, although only by a whisker. Yes on measure ABC had about 51 % of the votes, leaving no at a close 49%. Government teacher Nick Doom explained the reason for this close race because the people of Glendale want the Town Center, just not by its developer Rick Caruso. Even though the battle against the Town Center was lost, it was because of the opponents of ABC that there was even a special election to vote on this issue in the first place. Margaret Hammond, who describes herself as the infamous old lady who won’t shush, and one of the first 15 to lobby against the Town Center, said that the Town Center was just going to be built without the consent of the people. “If it weren’t for people like me they would have just gone and built the thing right up, wasting our tax dollars,” she says. Another problem the opponents of ABC had was the land was worth an estimated $77 million dollars at current zoning, and that it was going to be given away and not leased. “It is a waste of money,” says Herbert Morano, one of the people Rick Caruso sued for creating “misleading” ads against the Town Center. “Where are they getting this money to give it away? When I requested new musical instruments for Glendale High, they said there was no money for it. The money should be spent improving south Glendale another way.” But on the flip side, supporters of ABC say that the Town Center will generate over $3 million dollars for Glendale schools. It’s no longer an argument over which side was right, or which side was lying; the votes have been cast, the decision has been made. The Town Center will slowly rise from a concrete parking lot to a “great addition to downtown Glendale,” as Doom puts it. The project will take about three years and will be completed and the structure is estimated to be 75 feet high or about seven stories. The Town Center will have 238 apartments above the shopping area and 100 condominiums. There will also be a two-acre park. According to Town Center worker Anahid Arakelian, the Town Center will also hold Pacific Theaters, and might have from 14 to 16 movie screens. She adds that the only other business that is a guaranteed tenant is a Fox Sports Grill and that the other businesses are still in the process of making a deal with Caruso.