Some Neighbors Fear Disney’s Dream Might Become Their Nightmare

Ramon Mola has grown accustomed to the apartment buildings that loom over his modest house on San Jose Avenue in Burbank. But the 56-year-old warehouse foreman loses his cool when it comes to the retail and entertainment complex that Walt Disney Co. wants to build less than a block away.

“If they put a complex that size over there, developers will try to take my house away,” said Mola, who has lived in the one-story dwelling for 21 years. “I’d like to keep the neighborhood the way it is.”

Worried About Traffic

Although Mola was adamant in his opposition to the Disney proposal, others living in the same quiet, tree-lined residential neighborhood, just northeast of the planned location, were more concerned about the possibility of increased traffic.

But the proposal also has its fans. Neighborhood groups that have been vocal in their opposition to other developments near residential areas have been largely supportive, city officials say.

Burbank Mayor Michael R. Hastings said dozens of letters from residents have been received and favor the Disney project 10 to 1.

Betty Olsen, a Burbank native who lives near the 40-acre vacant site, is among the supporters.

“Burbank has always been behind the times,” said Olsen, 59, a retired hot-dog-stand operator whose parents settled in Burbank in 1920. “Anything would be an improvement over nothing.”

Olsen said she was glad that Towncenter, a $158-million redevelopment project that had been planned for the site, had collapsed. The proposed mall was “a big joke,” she said, because the nearby Glendale Galleria provides sufficient shopping.

Dana McTague, a 28-year-old retail clerk living in an apartment on San Jose Avenue, said she was worried about the millions of visitors expected.

“I’m not real thrilled about the extra traffic the Disney complex will bring,” she said.

Her neighbor on Harvard Road, Sheri Iascone, 26, was confident that Disney would provide adequate parking.

“I think it will be a great tourist attraction for the city,” said Iascone, who was born and raised in Burbank. “We’ve had Disney Studios for years, but people couldn’t really enjoy it because they don’t allow visitors.”

Carlos Fuentes, a newcomer to the area, said he also welcomed the prospect of an entertainment complex within walking distance of his house on Magnolia Boulevard.

‘It’s So Quiet’

“It’s so quiet here all the time, maybe a little too quiet,” said Fuentes, who moved to the neighborhood from southeast Los Angeles in December. “This is something different, something happy.”

Happiest of all about the proposed development appear to be the neighborhood children. Iascone’s 6-year-old boy was excited over the prospect of seeing his favorite Disney characters in person.