Local News in Brief : Revitalization Plan for Golden Mall Advances

A proposal to revitalize the Burbank Golden Mall by opening it to vehicular traffic was given preliminary approval Tuesday by the Burbank Redevelopment Agency.

The specifics of the reopening, including traffic and parking patterns, still have to be determined before final approval is given by the redevelopment agency.

The plan, which is part of a draft development proposal for downtown Burbank, will help improve the four-block long mall and integrate it with the proposed $140-million Towncenter shopping center, said Community Development Director Larry Kosmont.

The mall, built along on what was then San Fernando Road, was closed to traffic in 1967. City officials, concerned at the loss of shoppers to other regions, felt that a pedestrian-oriented mall would establish a focal point for Burbank retail businesses.

The hope did not work out and the mall has deteriorated.

Opening San Fernando Road will cost about $4 million, Kosmont said. City Attorney Doug Holland was instructed to initiate the required legal procedures to open the mall to traffic.

“This is a step in the right direction,” Mayor Mary Lou Howard said. “The Golden Mall is very important to the success of downtown, and the merchants there want to make sure that they are not squeezed out by the department stores in the Towncenter.”

Further public study sessions with city officials are also being scheduled to discuss the future of downtown Burbank before the draft development is voted on by the City Council.