Burbank Council to Hear 4 Finalists’ Plans for 41-Acre Site

Four finalists in a bid to develop 41 acres of long-vacant property in downtown Burbank are scheduled to argue the merits of their projects before the City Council tonight.

The firms--including one that has proposed a dolphin arena as part of its project--are to unveil specific plans for development of the site, which is in the middle of downtown Burbank near the Golden State Freeway. The city has been trying to find a suitable project for the property for almost 20 years.

The developers are to disclose what they are willing to pay the city for the land. They also will elaborate on how their projects would affect the environment and traffic patterns.

The council has said it will choose a developer in late January.

“It’s show-and-tell time, and it’s pretty tense,” City Manager Bud Ovrom said Monday. “Everything is on the table. The whole staff is pretty consumed with this.”

The firms will be allowed 30 minutes to make their presentations, which will be condensations of written plans the developers submitted Monday.

The finalists, which were required to pay a $25,000 processing fee to the city, include:

Triple Five Development Enterprises, an Edmonton, Canada, company that has proposed a retail-entertainment area with a dolphin arena, a miniature golf course and a day-care center.

The Alexander Haagen Co., one of the largest retail mall developers in Southern California, which has proposed a retail and office project.

Watt Commercial Development of Santa Monica and Cusumano Development Co. of Burbank, which have proposed a 1-million-square-foot office area, a shopping center and a 250-room hotel.

The Price Club and Kornwasser and Friedman Shopping Center, which have proposed a retail and entertainment center.

Mayor Al F. Dossin said choosing a developer will be “the biggest decision we’ve ever had.”

The city has been trying to attract a project that could compete with the Glendale or Sherman Oaks gallerias. But there have been many setbacks.

In 1986 developer Ernest Hahn had to scrap his 11-year-old plan for a $158-million shopping center. Hahn was unable to attract enough department stores to anchor the project.

The Walt Disney Co. earlier this year withdrew plans for a $611-million retail and entertainment center it had been planning for the site for almost a year. The project was too costly, Disney officials said.

Following the Disney withdrawal, nine companies submitted plans for the site, which is bordered by Burbank Boulevard, 3rd Street, Magnolia Boulevard and the Golden State Freeway.

The field was narrowed to six last September, and two of the finalists later dropped out.