Burbank Plan Will Restrict Development of High-Rises

Proposed restrictions on commercial development in Burbank’s Media District, headquarters of several movie studios, should ease fears of homeowners that their neighborhoods will be further overshadowed by high-rise buildings, city officials said Friday.

William Kelly, Burbank’s community development director, said a master plan for the area, just completed after almost two years, will protect single-family homes next to the Media District, but will also allow development in the area.

“As with all plans, there are winners and losers, but we had a direct understanding when we were working on this about what people did not want,” Kelly said. “We think it provides builders with the ability to develop, but with restraints.”

Height Limits

Among the restrictions being proposed are height limits on buildings near neighborhoods of single-family homes, density limits for developments where employees travel during peak traffic hours and landscape buffers between neighborhoods and businesses.

Also, restrictions on high-rises would be instituted. For example, buildings between 25 feet and 50 feet would have to be at least 25 feet from the edge of a residential neighborhood, and buildings between 50 and 150 feet would have to be 35 feet from such a neighborhood.

Residents have complained about the recently completed, 21-story Cushman office building and are concerned about the company’s plans to build 23-story and 17-story towers in the district. Other buildings, including an 8-story Screen Actors Guild structure, have prompted worry about crowded streets.

The Media District covers 1.25 square miles in the southwest corner of Burbank. Among the studios there are Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Productions and NBC. St. Joseph Medical Center is also in the district.

City officials said about 2.2 million square feet of construction has been completed or approved over the past five years. There is an anticipated demand for more than 13 million square feet in the foreseeable future, based on growth rates and plans by developers, officials said.

Ordered 2 Years Ago

The master plan was ordered two years ago when city planners felt that the district was in danger of being choked with development. They said expansion of the studios and the construction of tall office buildings would bring more workers into the area, gridlocking main intersections.

The city’s previous community development director, Larry Kosmont, said the city might need to put a cap on construction and expansion.

That viewpoint angered owners of business property who said restricting development would have a negative financial impact on them. Studio executives who said they had long-term expansion plans were also upset.

But residents argued that sunlight was being blocked by high-rise buildings and that their privacy was being invaded.

Street Widenings

Under the proposed master plan, the area would be allowed 30% more development than the expected 13 million square feet if $12.4 million of street widenings and improvements were implemented. Also, employers with more than 1,000 workers would be asked to participate in a transportation-management program, according to the plan.

The plan suggests modified work schedules be implemented by businesses in the areas and that van services and car-pool programs be started.

In addition, developers who want to build structures more than 35 feet tall would have to apply for a conditional-use permit, which would require public hearings.

A committee of merchants, developers and residents has been formed by the Burbank City Council to analyze the proposal, and their findings are scheduled to be presented to the council next month.

Studio officials and businessmen have declined to comment on the report until they have had time to study it.