L.A. Planning Commission gives OK to NBCUniversal expansion
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission recommended Thursday that NBCUniversal be allowed to move to the next stage of approval for a long-planned expansion at its San Fernando Valley site, after the company agreed to fund a bikeway and make other modifications to an already revised plan.
The bike path along the L.A. River was a key demand of environmentalists and bicycle enthusiasts, who were among the most vocal opponents of NBCUniversal’s original expansion plan.
On Thursday, the movie and television production company agreed to commit more than $3.3 million for planning, construction and improvement of future bikeways between the movie studio and the waterway and bike-related facilities on nearby streets.
“I’m excited that NBC has stepped up to the plate with real dollars,” Eric Bruins, planning and policy director for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, said after the Planning Commission’s vote.
Omar Brownson, executive director of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corp., called the financial commitment “a good pedal forward.”
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-- Ann M. Simmons, Los Angeles Times