Panel Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Disney Site

Responding to complaints from nearby residents, the Glendale Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday extended by 15 days the public comment period on the environmental review of Walt Disney Co.’s proposed “creative campus.”

The agency approved the extension of the 45-day comment period after local homeowners said that wasn’t enough time to digest details of a four-volume, 2,000-plus-page environmental impact report on the project, planned for the 125-acre site of the former Grand Central Air Terminal. The property has been a business park since the early 1960s.

Homeowners asked for a 45-day extension but will have only until Sept. 4 to comment.

The July 6 report said the project would generate 7,844 new jobs after the planned renovation of the site near the junction of the Golden State and Ventura freeways, having “unavoidable significant impact” on noise, air quality and traffic flow in the area.

Disney executives say residents concerns will be addressed through increased on-site parking, phased-in construction and improvements to freeway exits and local intersections, as well as height restrictions on buildings near residences.