Fallout From MCA Expansion Plan: Benefit or Blight? : The project, which promises as many as 14,000 new jobs, will provide economic development that is essential to revitalizing the San Fernando Valley.

Finally a major company in the San Fernando Valley, MCA Inc., says it’s going to create jobs and is planning expansion. This is in sharp contrast to the steady stream of major companies deciding to exit the San Fernando Valley or downsize.

Yes, there are some serious hurdles to overcome between MCA and the surrounding neighbors, and those concerns must be addressed.

But economic development is essential to revitalizing the San Fernando Valley. The critics should take a closer look at the MCA project and look for ways to make as many of the 14,000 promised jobs materialize as is neighborly possible.

To listen to some, it would seem that MCA has never listened to its neighbors or done anything to resolve problems with them. That is just not true.

MCA built two freeway off-ramps to take people from the hill and put them directly onto the freeway, and an on-ramp to keep cars away from neighborhood streets. It has constructed sound walls and has changed its studio tour to reduce the volume from the tram speakers. Because of current concerns over noise, it is moving its “Beetlejuice” show to an indoor theater. MCA is making other changes to the sound systems to its other shows and is revising the entertainment programs at CityWalk.

Though these are significant steps toward mitigating some of the concerns of the neighbors, MCA acknowledges that more steps need to be taken. It is exercising “daily vigilance,” according to Christine Hanson of MCA, seeking out noise problems to deal with them immediately. It has concluded that the mitigation measures undertaken in light of current noise and lighting issues will be helpful in designing further development.

Many of the concerns about the master plan for expansion has resulted from neighbors’ fear of unknown details.

The week before last--at a meeting of the MCA’s Citizens Advisory Group, which is made up of local neighbors representing those who will be most affected by the development--Helen McCann of MCA noted the frustration from the group as it hungered for more information on the project. Most people attending the meeting conceded that MCA will build on its property, but expressed a need for sincere communication in the planning process and asked that neighbors be involved in the process as much as possible.

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This process must take place. The San Fernando Valley needs MCA just as MCA needs the Valley.

General Motors has left and is not coming back. Lockheed has all but left Burbank and is not coming back. Hughes Aircraft has moved most of its jobs out of the Valley and is not coming back. Where else is economic development of this magnitude going to come from?

If obstructing growth could produce lots of jobs, then we would all be saved, because obstructionism is a fast-growing profession.

There are those who want to see a fight. They would like nothing better than to have a climate of tension. But I believe that there are more of us who see that there is need to work out any differences rather than take sides and fight each other.

A group unrepresented in the economic development issue that will suffer the most without job creation consists of potential employees, living from week to week on a small payroll or unemployment check. Some are looking for better jobs; others are looking for any job. They are not represented at community meetings; they are not represented in focus groups. Their voice is the silent scream for more jobs that cannot be heard over the more vocal debate that the headlines are about.

Real economic development will require the cooperation of neighbors and business, whether it be MCA, a housing development, a manufacturer or any other employer. The process will not be easy. But it will not be impossible.

Whatever mitigation measures are needed in the MCA master plan should take place. I hope the neighbors and MCA can solve the problems and allow job creation in harmony with the neighborhood.

There is no good reason they cannot.