Crowd Turns Up to Back Disney Bid in Burbank

Most of the about 300 people who packed a Burbank City Council meeting Tuesday night cheered their support of a proposed $611-million retail, entertainment and office complex to be built by the Walt Disney Co. in the city’s downtown.

After hearing citizens’ comments, the City Council gave the Disney company permission to exercise a six-month option to further plan the development.

Although many in the overflow crowd complained that the “Disney-MGM Studio Backlot” would bring congestion, noise and traffic to the city, most appeared to support the proposal.

One speaker, Lorraine Mark, said: “I can’t believe all this clamor. You would think we were talking about a nuclear power plant instead of a shopping center.”

“I think it’s great, and I want to be on the first boat on Lake Disney,” said Sandy Valadez, 43, referring to a man-made ocean that Disney planners hope to put atop a parking structure.

Several other speakers from the audience, as well as Burbank City Council members, lambasted a series of flyers from a group called “Friends of Burbank” that criticizes the project and claims the city made a back-room deal with Disney.

Flyers Traced

The group’s address was traced to a private post office box in Burbank registered to Barbara Grover, a partner in a West Los Angeles political consulting firm. City officials suspect that the flyers may have been financed by Disney’s rival, MCA, which also wants to develop the property.

“The flyers are inflammatory bunk,” Valadez said. “To the people who put this out, I say, ‘You have underestimated our intelligence.’ ”

The city last May agreed to give Disney an option to purchase a 40-acre redevelopment site to build the backlot.

Alan G. Epstein, Southern California vice president for Disney Development Co., thanked the council and Burbank residents.

Epstein said, with the anti-project flyers that had been circulating to registered voters in the city, he had expected to hear more negative comments about the proposal at the council meeting.

“It never ceases to amaze us how bright the public is,” Epstein said.

Disney executives had said two weeks ago that the project may have to be scaled down before the company is convinced that it would be a sound investment.

Epstein said Tuesday night: “We wouldn’t be here today if we weren’t optimistic” about being able to build the project. Later, Epstein said that “$600 million does not scare the Walt Disney Co.”

Want Shopping Center

Council members stressed their desire to have a shopping center as a priority of the development. The site’s previous developer, Ernest Hahn Co., was unable to find four major department stores to anchor a proposed mall that would have been Burbank’s counterpart to the Glendale Galleria.

Epstein said that Disney officials will continue during the next six months to seek department stores for the development.

The project is slated to include a 2.2-million-square-foot development with a high-rise, a 400-room “Hollywood fantasy hotel,” a multi-screen movie theater, restaurants and night clubs.

New headquarters for the studio’s animation department, the Disney Channel and other production facilities also would be located at the site.

Council members said that, despite the flyers, phone calls and letters have been heavily in favor of the Burbank proposal.