Stricter Noise Standards Recommended for Universal

An outside consultant has recommended that stricter Los Angeles County noise ordinances be chosen over city standards for Universal Studios’ proposed $1-billion expansion project, and that independent noise tests be conducted around the entertainment property on unannounced visits.

Universal Studios prefers using the city’s noise ordinance for its project, and the company suggested that noise testing be done on preset dates.

But Fred Greve, a Newport Beach consultant asked by the county’s Department of Regional Planning Commission to review Universal’s noise limitation measures, wrote that the city’s noise ordinance “provides little protection for the surrounding communities” and that the city’s noise restrictions are generally “unenforceable” in court.

Most of Universal’s land is on county, not city, property and Greve noted that because Universal City is zoned for manufacturing, “it is not a reasonable expectation for an adjacent resident not to hear some noise from a land use with this zoning.”

His comments were in a 17-page report sent last week to the county’s planning agency.

Greve also urged that Universal include a thorough noise analysis for its movie production work in its environmental impact report, and that random third-party noise tests be done after Universal adds a new attraction to its entertainment complex to determine whether the company is in compliance.

Pam Holt, an administrator for the county’s planning agency, said Universal suggested that noise surveillance tests be done four times a year on specific dates, including the Fourth of July and Labor Day, because those are some of its busiest days. But Holt said that unannounced sound monitoring “would be more appropriate.”

After months of angry public testimony by neighbors, who complained about noise, traffic and crime problems around Universal, the company in July slashed its expansion plans by more than 40%.

Universal’s new proposal would add 3.3-million square feet of office and studio production space, hotels and retail stores, and boost its current building space by about 60% over the next 15 years.

Universal’s property covers 415 acres, the largest entertainment tract in the Valley. Because it is on city and county land, the project must win approval by both the City Council and county Board of Supervisors.

The Regional Planning Commission’s next hearing on the Universal Studios expansion will be limited to noise and traffic issues, and will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m. at the County Hall of Records at 320 W. Temple St., Room 150, in downtown Los Angeles.