Rival Groups Clash Over Disney Studio Expansion : Burbank: Two organizations of homeowners holding opposite views both claim to represent Rancho-area opinion.

The Rancho area of Burbank, a residential community known for its serenity and its horses, has quietly been turned into a battleground in the Duel Over Disney.

Two similarly named homeowner groups, each claiming to represent a significant portion of the Rancho community, are at odds over the proposed $600-million, 1.8-million-square-foot expansion of the nearby Walt Disney Co. that city officials feel could give Burbank a much-needed economic boost.

Representatives of one group said initial response in the Rancho area, which is adjacent to the studio, appears to favor the expansion. But a leader of the other group criticized the plan as doing little or nothing to protect the Rancho community from increased traffic and congestion resulting from the project.

Although members of the 3-year-old Burbank Rancho Assn. Inc. and the 21-year-old Burbank Rancho Homeowners are not openly clashing in the streets or tossing trash over each other’s hedges, each group says it has the more accurate reading on the feelings of the community.

Where the Rancho community stands on the expansion is expected to have a significant influence on the Burbank City Council, which will ultimately vote on the project.

In response to the dispute, Disney executives, who have held a series of recent community forums to detail their plans, have scheduled separate meetings for the groups. Burbank Mayor Michael R. Hastings, who is a resident of the area but says he does not belong to either organization, accused leaders of the Burbank Rancho Homeowners of belittling the Disney project without being totally informed about it.

“Ranting and raving doesn’t accomplish anything,” said Hastings, who has been upbeat about the project. “If what they’re doing is just to incite riots in the community, that kind of thing is getting old.”

But Ted McConkey, president of the Burbank Rancho Homeowners, denied that the group was trying to fan the flames of discontent and said Hastings was “way out of line. We’re just using the tools available to us, and we’re doing exactly what we’re chartered to do, which is to reflect the views of our members.”

Disney, in the meantime, is attempting to stay out of the disagreement by answering the concerns of both groups in the separate meetings.

“We have always said we will do what we can to reach out to members of the community” said Alan Epstein, vice president of Disney Development Co. “If we have to have two sets of meetings instead of one for the two groups, it’s unfortunate, but so be it. Most of the response we’ve gotten is generally positive.”

The Disney proposal calls for several additions on its 44-acre lot, including four to six sound stages, an employee center, a casting building, production facilities and a creative arts center.

Epstein said the studio needs new production facilities because of its increased output of television programs and films, and to stay competitive with other major film studios.

Residents in the Rancho community have been especially interested in the plan because of their proximity to Disney. The neighborhood is zoned to allow the roughly 4,000 residents to keep horses in their back yards and ride them on the streets.

Burbank officials have long recognized the uniqueness of the Rancho area, which is a short driving distance from the city’s Media District, where several movie and television studios--including Disney--are headquartered.

Both the Burbank Rancho Assn. Inc. and the Burbank Rancho Homeowners claim to represent 200 homes in the Rancho community.

Dennis Jackson, president of the Burbank Rancho Assn. Inc., said the initial response to the project within the Rancho area appeared “pro-Disney.” He said his group three weeks ago sent out a survey to 700 homes asking residents about the expansion.

“As of last week, we’ve gotten 120 replies, which we think is an excellent response so far,” Jackson said.

“Traffic is the biggest concern, and it still is a big concern,” he added. “We’ll mail out a newsletter in the next two weeks, asking for additional input.”

The group has suggested several traffic mitigation measures to Disney, including the installation of street gateways and a bridle trail. Although Jackson said discussions were continuing, he felt that Disney had made an effort to address residents’ concerns.

“If the majority of the residents are for Disney with some mitigating traffic measures, then that will be our recommendation,” he said.

But McConkey said members of his group felt Disney had not adequately addressed the project’s effects on the Rancho neighborhood.

“We’re absolutely in favor of Disney growing,” he said. “But there’s nothing in their plan that addresses the impact on the adjacent residential neighborhood. We see nothing in the plan that would do anything but ruin the neighborhood.”

Mayor Hastings said it might make more sense for a united Rancho group to present concerns. But past attempts to bring the two organizations together have failed.