Council agrees to study of 14-story development dubbed ‘Premier on First’

The Burbank City Council in a 5-0 vote approved an agreement for an environmental study, traffic analysis and health-risk assessment for a proposed mixed-use development project in downtown Burbank with two proposed 14-story towers.

Some council members also asked to be notified when the study is set to begin so they can provide “meaningful input” about its scope, signaling a level of early involvement that has not been typical of past developments.

Cusumano Real Estate Group, the project’s developer, will pay for the $275,000 contract with Westlake Village-based Meridian Consultants, which will prepare the study, plus about $32,000 in administrative fees. Meridian is the same firm that prepared a draft supplemental environmental study of the Empire Center for the city, which was released this week.

“There will be no cost to the city,” said Brian Foote, a senior planner with the city. He said Meridian was the top-ranked firm of 11 that submitted proposals.

Applications for a city review of the proposed Cusumano development, dubbed “Premier on First,” were submitted in July and call for two 14-story towers to be built in two phases. The project location is a 1.8-acre site on South First Street, between Tujunga and Verdugo avenues, across from the Marriott Residence Inn.

The first phase would be a 154-unit residential tower with 11,078 square foot of retail space on the ground floor. The tower would have 448 parking spaces in two underground levels and three levels above the ground floor. An existing two-story 40,000-square-foot office building and 28 surface parking spaces at the site would remain.

The second phase of the project could involve one of two options. The first option would be a 126,000-square-foot hotel that would have 230 rooms and roughly 7,100 square feet of retail or restaurant space on the ground floor. The top floor would also include a 7,100-square-foot “sky restaurant.” Three floors of parking above the ground floor would provide 258 spaces.

A second option would be a 159,000-square-foot office building with a 14,000-square-foot ground floor lobby and retail space. The office tower would have two underground parking levels and three levels of parking above the ground floor for a total of 439 spaces.

Councilman David Gordon asked that the council be included in the notice that goes out informing the public of the study’s preparation — the first step in the process which then begins a 30-day period in which various agencies must submit feedback about potential environmental issues and alternatives to be studied.

City Atty. Amy Albano said it’s not the city’s practice to notify the council of that notice.

“I’m aware of that,” Gordon said. “It’s a new day.”

Albano said there would be no “issue” with providing council with a courtesy copy, but Gordon said he was asking for something “beyond a courtesy copy.”

“The time when the council can have meaningful input into the [environmental study] process on the front end ... is at the time of notice of preparation,” Gordon said.

City Manager Mark Scott said he had no problem with providing the notice to the council, though he said he won’t be with the city when that happens, so he could not make a promise. However, he said he supported the idea of getting the city officials’ input before the study begins.

“It’s much better to hear that early than late,” Scott said.

Referring to recent discussions surrounding the anticipated traffic impacts of a Cusumano development in the Media District, Scott added: “If we’re going to do more than one day of traffic counts, I want to know it early, not later.”

Councilman Will Rogers said he supported Gordon’s request.

“OK, well, that’s two,” Gordon said. “We will remember this, Mr. Scott, even if it’s not in the form of a promise.”

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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland