Business to get a boon

The suffering Burbank economy got a rare triple play this week: a new comedy club, 24 Hour Fitness and news that Conan O’Brien would film his new show here.

Though the economy is fluid, the city still has the goods to capture some of the runoff.

O’Brien’s new venture is projected to create dozens of new jobs and trickle down benefits to peripheral businesses — restaurants, production services and other shops. A new Flappers Comedy Club in downtown should generate more foot traffic for nearby storefronts. And despite some community trepidation, a new 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport in a now-vacant warehouse building will attract hundreds of consumers from outlying areas into Burbank, consumers who will hopefully burn more than just calories.

At a time when headlines have been dominated by stagnant financial outlooks and the bust of one store after another, it was a jolt to see such a boon come to Burbank, and a welcome indication that some regrowth may be coming.

Burbank officials have shown that it is possible to stoke development, even in the worst of times, let’s hope that they position this city to really soak up the benefits when the economy really starts to rebound.