New Theme Park Cut as Universal Scales Back Plan

Universal Studios unveiled a sharply smaller expansion plan Wednesday, one that would cut its massive, $1-billion project size by 44%, in hopes of winning city and county approval.

The move follows months of complaints by neighboring homeowners and a request by county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Councilman John Ferraro that Universal scale back its expansion project by 40% and emphasize its film and TV operations rather than building a new theme park.

“Universal has worked very hard to listen. Listening is sometimes very hard and painful. We think this reduced project is appropriate,” Universal’s attorney, George Mihlsten, told the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission.

In its new blueprint, Universal would eliminate plans to build a new 750,000-square-foot children’s theme park; reduce its proposed CityWalk expansion by 30%; and trim the number of new hotel rooms to 1,200, down from its original proposal of 3,425.

And in an apparent effort to mollify homeowner groups, the company said it would either sharply reduce noise coming from its Water World show or close it entirely. The company also said that it would set up stricter noise limits for all its future outdoor amplified entertainment.

Regional Planning Commission member Donald Toy told Universal’s representatives that while he’s eager to study the new proposal, “just because it goes down 40% [in size] doesn’t make it automatic that it takes care of everything.”

In addition, Commissioner Esther Feldman requested that Universal have an “independent third party do an analysis of all these noise controls” that the company proposes to set up.

Other elements in the revised project call for:

* Universal to build a public bike path and walkway on the northern edge of its property along the Los Angeles River.

* Elimination of plans to build a heliport.

* The doubling in size, to 300 feet, of a green space buffer zone on the eastern side of its property near a residential neighborhood.

* The dropping of plans to seek approval for dozens of liquor licenses. Rather, Universal will go through the conventional approval process for each new license it seeks.

All told, the company’s revised plans, if approved, would create 8,000 jobs at Universal, and add 3.3 million square feet of office and studio production space, hotels and retail stores. Universal said it would complete this project in two phases over 15 years.

Despite the entertainment giant’s new proposal, opponents attending Wednesday’s Regional Planning Commission hearing noted that a 3.3-million-square-foot expansion would still boost by 60% Universal’s current building space, and that its Universal Studios theme park area would grow by about 50%.

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“We don’t want Universal to expand their theme park at all,” said Patrick Garner of the Toluca Lake Residents Assn.

Universal still hopes to follow the county’s noise standards, Garner said, rather than the city’s stricter noise limits. “If you can hear amplified noise within 200 feet, it’s too loud,” he said. The new Universal expansion plan “absolutely would not solve the noise problem.”

Helen McCann, Universal’s vice president in charge of the expansion project, said in an interview that the new project “is less big, but it will also work. And it allows us to grow our core businesses. We’ve gone more than the extra mile” in making concessions. “There will always be a naysayer. But we’re ready to invest in L.A. Let’s move on.”

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Tony Lucente of the Studio City Residents Assn. objected to Universal’s plan to keep expanding its current theme park. “Yaroslavsky and Ferraro said no new theme parks. If they are expanding their existing entertainment venues, I have a problem with that,” he said.

In its original proposal in January, Universal sought to roughly double its current building space on its 415 acres by adding 5.9 million square feet of theme park attractions, resort hotels, studio and office space in a $2-billion project over 25 years.

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But neighborhood groups met with public officials, from Mayor Riordan to Councilman Ferraro, to complain that Universal’s proposal was too vague, and it would turn Universal City into an out-of-control destination resort and theme park complex, with rising crime, noise and traffic.

About 70% of Universal City sits on an unincorporated area of the county; the rest is in the city’s jurisdiction, so both city and county agencies must approve the project.

McCann conceded that meeting all these regulatory approvals for Universal’s revised project is likely to take another 12 months.