Plans Unveiled for Burbank Media Center

BURBANK —  Plans were unveiled Thursday for a 585,000-square-foot commercial office complex that will be developed by J. H. Snyder Co. and Boston-based Beacon Properties.

Beacon will finance the project, approved by the Burbank City Council last December, and Los Angeles-based J. H. Synder will construct and lease it, according to developer Jerry Snyder.

Envisioned as a hub for the entertainment industry, the 4-acre project is located near NBC, the Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. studios. It is bordered by Olive Avenue, California Street and the 134 Freeway.

The six-story center will be structured around a large atrium, and offices will have balconies overlooking the atrium and courtyards. A four-level parking lot will be able to hold 1,800 vehicles, Snyder said.

“We tried to give it a California look--very high ceilings, balconies and all the things media people seem to like,” said Snyder. “Burbank has a very low vacancy rate--about 3%--and a lot of the media people have had to leave and go to West L.A. because there is no space.”

Dubbed the Media Center, it is the first new commercial office development in Burbank in five years, Snyder said. The project is expected to be completed in September 1999.

J. H. Snyder owns or has an interest in 110 office properties in major cities across the nation.