Council OKs Developer’s Plan for Burbank Gateway Center

The Burbank City Council gave tentative approval Tuesday night to a developer’s application to build a $250-million shopping complex on a 41-acre downtown redevelopment site.

The council unanimously approved developer Alexander Haagen’s plan to build the proposed Burbank Gateway Center, which is expected to create thousands of jobs and add more than $8 million in annual revenues for the city. The council is expected to give final approval to the permit to build the center at its meeting Tuesday.

The only remaining requirement Haagen faces is to secure council approval of the terms of his land lease. The council is scheduled to vote on the matter at its Sept. 26 meeting.

The Burbank Gateway Center will have a three-level shopping mall with four office towers and a hotel. The 2.5 million-square-foot complex will be built on a site bounded by Burbank Boulevard on the north, Magnolia Boulevard on the south, the Golden State Freeway on the west and Third Street on the east.

Ground breaking on the project is tentatively set for early October.