Cheers and Jeers for Universal Plan

In a raucous meeting Monday punctuated by catcalls and applause, neighbors and business people testified for and against Universal Studios’ proposed $2-billion, 25-year expansion plan in the final public-comment session by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission.

Film critic Leonard Maltin gave thumbs down to Universal’s project, saying that crime, noise and traffic have dramatically worsened in the six years he has lived in Toluca Lake.

Maltin said he has no problem with intermittent noise from Universal Studios’ film or television productions but that music, gunshots and other loud noises from CityWalk and Universal’s theme park attractions keep his family awake at night. He said frequent complaints to the company had produced no action.

“Universal says there is no current noise problem. That is a lie,” Maltin said, triggering laughter and applause from many in the audience of 200. “How can Universal be trusted in the future,” he asked, if the studio is given blanket approval to expand its tourist and retail attractions.

Universal Studios wants to roughly double its current building space by adding 5.9 million square feet of theme park attractions, resort hotels, studio and office space, in addition to 6.3 million square feet of parking.

Universal City spreads over 415 acres, with 296 acres in the unincorporated area of the county. Both Los Angeles city and county planning departments are reviewing the project, but the county is the lead agency.

Monday’s hearing at the Sportsmen’s Lodge was the Planning Commission’s fourth meeting to hear public comment on the project.

Rosalyn Shapiro, who lives just east of Universal City, urged the commission to require the construction of a covered public road through Universal Studios’ property. “Century City has many roads going through it. Universal City must have a road . . . to help traffic” congestion around the studio property, she said.

Several opponents complained that Universal’s employees were out touting the project before free screenings of its new films, encouraging audience members to sign cards in favor of the project and to speak at public meetings.

“The people speaking in favor of this project don’t live nearby. Their only interest in the project is in making more money,” said Kerry McGrath, a Toluca Lake resident. “We are not supposed to be run over by a conglomerate. The little guy is supposed to have a voice.”

Those in favor of the project often cited the big investment that Universal was prepared to make, and the jobs that would come with it.

Chris Durkee, a La Crescenta resident who is a construction executive, said the Universal project would generate more than 54,000 construction-related jobs in the next 25 years. “The vast majority of these jobs will [go] to local people,” he said. “These will be high-paying jobs, not minimum-wage jobs.”

Al Ponaman of Chatsworth, who runs an executive search firm, also urged the commission to approve the Universal project. “When was the last time you met a gang member who had a legitimate job? We need this Universal expansion. I don’t care if they are engineering jobs or street sweeping jobs, these are honest jobs that we do not have now.”

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Lee Baker, a Toluca Lake resident since 1954, also spoke in support of the project. “Many cities are offering tax breaks to bring businesses into their communities. I don’t think we’re going to give any tax breaks to Universal.”

Baker added that the additional local tax revenues generated by Universal’s expansion “will help fix the potholes on my street.”

The Planning Commission said it will accept written public comment until May 31.

Universal hopes to win the necessary government approvals by the year’s end. But the county Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council also must approve the project, and some city officials have said they now doubt that the review process can be finished this year.