Burbank Delays Vote on Plan for Media District

The Burbank City Council has postponed for two weeks a vote on the controversial Media District Specific Plan, which would limit development in one of the city’s best-known areas.

Council members said during their meeting Tuesday that they wanted revisions in the language and details of the plan before voting. The proposal is scheduled to be considered again on Dec. 18.

One of the principal changes in the plan concerns height limits for buildings constructed in the district, a 1.2-square-mile area in southwestern Burbank dominated by motion picture and television studios. Council members disagreed in a discussion of maximum height limits, but eventually arrived at a compromise.

Under the revised plan, most new buildings would be limited to less than 15 stories. Taller buildings would have to be approved under a conditional use permit, which would require public hearings by the city’s planning board and the council. Developers who wanted to build more than 15 stories would have to provide “super enhancement” qualities such as open space, increased parking and child-care centers.

The plan has been the subject of debate for more than six years between property owners and residents of neighborhoods surrounding the district.

Many developers have argued for years that the plan is too restrictive and takes away their property rights. However, residents of the surrounding community say the plan does not go far enough and their neighborhoods have been overwhelmed by noise and traffic from the current level of development.

City officials say the plan is intended to slow development, striking a balance between both sides.