NBC Given Approval to Triple Size of Studio Lot

By EFRAIN HERNANDEZ JR

March 12, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

BURBANK — Although increased traffic remains a concern, the City Council on Tuesday night approved a major expansion planned by NBC on its 44-acre lot.

The NBC project, which follows long-term expansion programs approved for nearby Walt Disney Co. in 1992 and Warner Bros. in 1995, is the last of the 20-year growth plans the city can expect from its three major studios this century.

And the NBC expansion brings with it, city officials said, probably the greatest economic impact on the San Fernando Valley of any project expected this year, aside from the pending Universal City plan.

“This is great,” said Councilwoman Susan E. Spanos shortly before the council approved the project by a 5-0 vote. “I’m looking forward to seeing this happen.”

NBC, which has been in Burbank since 1952, expects to nearly triple the amount of building space on its lot at Alameda and Olive avenues, increasing square footage from about 1.1 million to about 3 million.

The plan calls for six new studios, four 15-story office buildings and three six-story parking facilities, all on existing NBC property. The new space would relieve the cramped studio’s current practice of using mobile structures on site or sending crews elsewhere for production needs.

The studio, which is near residential neighborhoods but does not abut any, expects construction to begin in about a year. The project is expected to be completed in about 10 years.

The NBC plan is considered essential for helping to keep media-related jobs and businesses in Burbank, known as a worldwide media center, while also generating income for other companies and increasing tax revenues.

Studio and city officials said NBC will pay Burbank about $13 million in fees because of the expansion, including about $6 million for transportation-related matters and more than $1 million for potential increases in enrollment in local schools. The studio also will pay about $2 million per year in new property and business taxes once the project is completed, officials said.

John E. O’Neill, vice president for facilities at NBC, said the expansion also is expected to generate about 4,700 new jobs, although it was unknown how many would be full-time staff positions. There are about 1,100 staff jobs at the studio now, with as many as 700 temporary or part-time workers on the job at any given time, he said.

O’Neill said an estimate of the project’s dollar cost was unavailable.

Like the Disney expansion, which calls for about 2 million square feet of construction, and the Warner Bros. plan, which includes about 3.3 million square feet, the NBC plan adheres to the city’s Media District Master Plan, which was adopted in 1991 to address growth for 20 years.

The City Council approval follows months of talks between NBC officials and area residents.

Long-standing concerns about traffic were raised again in November when a draft environmental report showed that the studio would generate about 15,500 “vehicle trips” daily when the plan is completed, compared to about 6,300 now.

But studio and city officials said the plan includes several measures that address traffic flow, including additional street lights and reconfigured curbs to make turns easier. Also, because the studio operates 24 hours a day, the traffic will not be as concentrated as it is for other companies, they said.

There has been little, if any, public opposition to the NBC project.

The city’s planning board approved it unanimously two weeks ago.

None of the 22 residents and local business representatives who addressed the council Tuesday night on the project expressed opposition.

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Studio Expansion

A proposed expansion of NBC’s studios would nearly triple the building space at its 44-acre studio lot in Burbank.

Expansion Details

* Size of NBC Studios: 44 acres.

* Proposed additions: Six new studios, four 15-story office buildings and three six-story parking structures.

* Current office and studio space: 1.1 -million square feet.

* After expansion: 3 million square feet.

* Projected start date: Early to mid-1998.