Burbank’s New Development Chief Ready to Field the Flak

It may still be too soon for William R. Kelly to feel the heat, but officials at Burbank City Hall say he is sitting in the hottest seat in town.

Kelly, 38, is the new community development director for Burbank, a position that City Manager Bud Ovrom calls “the spot where lightning usually hits, and a lot more than twice.” Kelly will be in charge of coordinating 30 redevelopment projects around the city as well as overseeing planning and housing issues.

His predecessors in Burbank continually rode a roller-coaster of favor and disfavor with residents and administrators. Kelly, a 16-year municipal government veteran, said he is prepared to take whatever heat comes his way in dealing with controversial development issues.

“I know what it’s like to go to public hearings and have people want to take your head off,” Kelly said. But he joked, “So far, there are no regrets. After all, I’ve been here for two weeks, and I somehow managed to survive.”

Kelly has not yet become a target in the continuing conflict between developers and Burbank residents who wish to preserve the sanctity of single-family neighborhoods.

Ironically, the day after Kelly reported for work, the Burbank City Council formally pronounced the death of the Towncenter shopping mall, a project that had been the dream of officials and residents for more than a decade.

The developer of the mall, Ernest W. Hahn Inc., had not been able to attract a fourth department store to anchor the mall after Robinson’s withdrew from the project last year. The mall site is now a 40-acre vacant lot in the middle of downtown Burbank.

“Of course, to have something like that happen to the city is awful, but it’s a good opportunity for me to come in and try to do something,” Kelly said as he sat in his sparsely furnished office last week. “It’s a new beginning for the city, and I’m sure we’ll be able to take full advantage.”

Same Scenario

Kelly said he encountered almost the same dilemma in Brea, in Orange County, when as director of development services he coordinated a proposal for a hotel that was designed to be a centerpiece of the city.

Despite his efforts, he said, the project collapsed after three years because the developer was unable to put the final plans together.

For several years, the Towncenter proposal was nursed along by Kelly’s predecessor, Larry J. Kosmont, who resigned last August to form a development consulting firm. Kosmont, despite praise for his expertise in development matters, found himself caught between city officials who criticized him for alleged mismanagement and builders who said he limited development.

Along with the Towncenter, Kosmont was overseeing several hundred million dollars worth of development projects and the drafting of a city master plan.

Now it is up to Kelly to see through projects that Kosmont began, and start some new ones.

Hopes were raised for the future of the Towncenter site when Walt Disney executives recently expressed interest in possibly building a retail/entertainment center there.

Apart from the mall site, Kelly said, it is too early for him to set priorities for Burbank development.

“I figure it will take me about six months before I can get up to speed on what’s going on,” he said.

‘Great Residential Base’

Kelly said his preliminary tours of Burbank indicate a lot of potential for growth and progress. “There’s a great residential base here, homes that are old but in good condition,” he said. “Commercially, there are the usual declining areas, so we would be very interested in invigorating those. This isn’t a dead town. There’s lots of community pride and interest in development.”

Before his job in Brea, Kelly served from October, 1978, to August, 1983, as director of community services in Baldwin Park.

Ovrom said he was drawn to Kelly because of his city planning experience and his managerial skills. “Planning is the most important part of development, and I think Kelly is going to provide us with invaluable assistance there,” he said.

Kelly lives in Glendora with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. He said the 55-minute drive to and from Burbank each day helps him sort out redevelopment issues.

“I know Burbank is a controversial city,” Kelly said. “I just have to try and keep my eyes and ears open and sense the community’s pulse and the city’s pulse. I plan to have a lot of public input. But it’s not a job which makes everybody happy, that’s for sure.”