Universal realizes community key to project

Universal realizes community key to project.

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This time, NBC Universal figured out it needed some neighborly support.

In announcing a 25-year master plan for its 391-acre Universal City property this month, the media conglomerate learned lessons from previous failed plans and went to the community to build a consensus about the massive project.

The tactic, started at least six months ago, has triggered an unexpected about-face among some business and community groups, which have historically had an icy relationship with the studio: they're withholding judgment until all the specifics are fleshed out.

"We're waiting for all the details. We haven't seen the whole project yet," said Richard K. Bogy, chair of government affairs and community development for the Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce.

The blueprint calls for a considerable overhaul of the historic production facility and back lot, including refurbishing the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park by adding 80,000 square feet of retail and dining, plus 35,000 square feet of additional retail and dining, a 3,000-seat entertainment venue and a 500-room hotel at City Walk.

Thomas Properties Group, meanwhile, plans to develop a 650,000-square-foot studio and office campus near the Universal City MTA station at Lankershim Boulevard and Campo de Cahuenga Way.

But the centerpiece would be the 124-acre, nearly 3,000-unit residential element called Universal Village centered on the eastern portion of the back lot, a largely undeveloped area hemmed in by existing hillside homes to the east.


Tom Smith, senior vice president of West Coast real estate for NBC Universal, said crews would also construct a new surface road from Forest Lawn Drive through the back lot to Coral Drive, the connector road just north of the Hollywood (101) Freeway (also called Buddy Holly Drive).

The street would serve as a "Great Street," housing 1000,000 square feet of retail and dining in addition to 2,900 apartments, condominiums and homes.

All told, the 25-year project could add more than $3 billion in direct investment in the Valley.

At a Dec. 6 press conference, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the proposal a "golden opportunity to make the vision of new urban design a reality." "With a housing crisis, traffic congestion and an ever-growing population, this is the face of smart, responsible, environmentally-friendly development for the future," he said.

Victor Viereck, a vice president for the Universal City North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, also applauded the project.

"Any additional housing, even when it's all market rate, helps the overall supply, which helps the affordability," he said. "When people are earning money they can afford it."

Viereck also pointed to the impact on the NoHo Arts District, a redeveloped section of Lankershim Boulevard teeming with art galleries, theater scene and the new 278-unit Lofts at Noho Commons.

"It will spur additional good development from there," Viereck said. "That will be helpful."

Community concern

The expansion, however, has reignited two long-held fears about any project at Universal: increased traffic and noise.

"The concerns are always about the Cahuenga Pass and Barham and people trying to access the freeway," said Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council President Anastasia Mann. "It's already congested."

Villaraigosa said he's aware the worries.

"While I welcome this project with open arms, I completely understand your legitimate concerns about its magnitude and scope," Villaraigosa said at the press conference. "The community will be part of the process every step of the way and I will personally hold NBC accountable to deliver on that commitment."

NBC Universal, in turn, has met with sever al community groups to go over plans, including the Studio City Neighborhood Council.

"They didn't want it to be a big shock," said Secretary Alan Levy, who was surprised at how candid the developers were.

They also met with the Toluca Lake Chamber about five months ago and incorporated many of the suggestions into the plan, including the new surface road, Bogy said.

Universal is also calling for a widening of the Barham bridge over the 101 and adding a southbound entrance to the expressway. Officials are also hopeful that the Red Line, which has a stop at Universal, will help cut down on congestion, although the current stop is at least a mile from the proposed residential element.

Years away

The project still faces a gauntlet of issues before construction starts, one of the biggest being figuring out what elements will sit on county and city land.

The majority of the property--including all of the theme park, studio and a large chunk of the back lot--sits in unincorporated Los Angeles County.

The city, meanwhile, controls all four corners of the vast property: an office building and parking lot at Barbara Boulevard and the Los Angeles River; a largely undeveloped plot at Barham and Buddy Holly; a small plot at Lankershim Boulevard and the L.A. River; and the southwest corner, which includes the hotel and office elements, the property's largest tax earners.

Under the current proposal, the housing and hotel elements would sit on unincorporated land and therefore benefit only county coffers. That could create an issue between the city and county, especially in regards to the highly sought hotel bed tax.

Thomas Properties and Rios Clementi Hale Studios will iron out such issues in the master plan currently under development. Once that's completed, the project will likely require a number of zoning changes before any environmental issues are addressed. City and county approvals are expected to begin next fall; early estimates put a groundbreaking no sooner than 2008.

With such a number of issues, one figure that will likely play a major role is city Planning Director Gall Goldberg.

She said how the city and county will interact is important, but that hasn't been figured out yet. "We haven't worked out the planning process," she said. "It's a bit of a challenge."

What is clear, Goldberg said, is that the agencies will have to work with the community to make sure everyone is on the same page.

"Our goal is to make it an extremely public process," she said. "We'll all come to an agreement."

From Bogy's perspective, that process has already started.

"The hope is that they'll continue to work for the community," he said.

By CHRIS COATES

Staff Reporter