The Downtown Burbank TOD Specific Plan

***Final Alternatives Workshop***

The Community Workshop/Environmental Impact Report Scoping Meeting will be held virtually.

Wednesday, May 26th
6:00pm-8:00pm

Please contact Leonard Bechet, Senior Planner, for more information, questions, or to get on the mailing list click here for upcoming meetings on the project by phone at (818) 238-5250 or by email at lbechet@burbankca.gov.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Through the Downtown Burbank Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan, the City of Burbank is looking to re-envision Downtown as a walkable, transit-friendly, mixed-use space. With input from the community, and funding from Metro and the California Department of Housing Community Development (HCD), the City aims to highlight diverse neighborhoods and influence safe and accessible street design for all users with inclusive sidewalks, recreational parks, and parking amenities. The Specific Plan project assesses vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian access to the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station and studies ways to take advantage of economic development opportunities and job creation around the station.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Downtown Burbank TOD Specific Plan is intended to create a well-connected downtown and help the City meet its current and future housing needs by analyzing and proposing opportunities for new housing and other in-fill development opportunities. It also aims to review and revise existing plans that cover the area as necessary to ensure that they reflect current goals.

The Specific Plan proposes a bold new vision for downtown by creating a street network and public realm accessible to all. In addition, the plan will identify and evaluate opportunities to incorporate infrastructure, transportation, pedestrian and bicycle amenities throughout the neighborhoods, districts, and corridors in and around downtown. When completed, the Specific Plan will be a document that guides development within and around Downtown Burbank and the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station for years to come.

The project’s $820,000 in funding originates from HCD under the SB2 Planning Grant Program and from Metro under the TOD Planning Grant Program. Collectively, these grant funds will facilitate a new Downtown Burbank Specific Plan that proposes to incorporate updates to the previous Burbank Center Specific Plan and North San Fernando Boulevard Master Plan into a single comprehensive planning document. As part of the project, the new Specific Plan includes an update to the General Plan elements and undertakes the appropriate environmental assessment pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project team is currently transitioning from the “Visioning” stage to the “Plan Preparation” stage in which they will draft the plan and prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The City just hosted its second public workshop for the project on January 21, and there will be plenty more opportunities to provide your feedback and input. Save the date for the Final Alternatives Workshop in April or May ( we will keep you posted!) ; look out for a public review period following the release of the Draft Plan and EIR; and attend community meetings to be scheduled as the project continues. You can learn more about the project, view recordings of past meetings, and find opportunities to provide input by visiting the project website at www.downtownburbanktod.com.

By Vanessa Melesio, Outreach Administrator and Hank Kaplan, Deputy Program Manager

 

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.