Dear [Recipient_Name], Burbank Begins Environmental Review of Burbank Town Center Project The City of Burbank has begun the environmental review process for the proposed Burbank Town Center Project, a multi-site mixed-use project that will create a new downtown neighborhood through the addition of residential units, neighborhood-serving retail and restaurants, and open space programmed with special events. It is expected that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be issued for public review by late September. Following the public comment period on the DEIR, the City will hold hearings on the project before the Planning Board and City Council. The Burbank Town Center Project proposes to replace the now-closed IKEA and other retail structures adjacent to the Burbank Town Center with new buildings that contain a mix of uses, including: 1,165 new residential units 200-room hotel Resident- and visitor-serving retail shops New restaurants Enhanced pedestrian walkways and connections to public transit 22,000 square feet open-space plaza that will host outdoor events and community gatherings. The Burbank Town Center Project will join a revitalized Burbank Town Center retail center, which recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation project. Included in the new tenant lineup are Cost Plus, H&M, Shoe Palace, Carter's, Round 1, and an outdoor dining terrace with an exterior escalator providing access from Magnolia and San Fernando Boulevards.
Transcript
Dear [Recipient_Name],
Burbank Begins Environmental Review of
Burbank Town Center Project
The City of Burbank has begun the environmental review process for the proposed Burbank Town Center Project, a multi-site mixed-use project that will create a new downtown neighborhood through the addition of residential units, neighborhood-serving retail and restaurants, and open space programmed with special events. It is expected that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be issued for public review by late September. Following the public comment period on the DEIR, the City will hold hearings on the project before the Planning Board and City Council. The Burbank Town Center Project proposes to replace the now-closed IKEA and other retail structures adjacent to the Burbank Town Center with new buildings that contain a mix of uses, including:
1,165 new residential units 200-room hotel Resident- and visitor-serving retail shops
New restaurants Enhanced pedestrian walkways and connections to public transit 22,000 square feet open-space plaza that will host outdoor events and community gatherings.
The Burbank Town Center Project will join a revitalized Burbank Town Center retail center, which recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation project. Included in the new tenant lineup are Cost Plus, H&M, Shoe Palace, Carter's, Round 1, and an outdoor dining terrace with an exterior escalator providing access from Magnolia and San Fernando Boulevards.
By creating a new downtown neighborhood, the Burbank Town Center Project will help boost the City's jobs-housing balance in the appropriate location for more housing. According to US Census data (2015), Burbank has nearly 202,000 jobs.However, new housing has not kept pace with the growth in jobs. Research by the Southern California Association of Government (SCAG) shows that Burbank's “fair share” goal to help meet the region's housing needs is 2,684 new single and multi-family units by 2021. However, only 336 units have been built or entitled since 2014. With 1,165 housing units, the Burbank Town Center Project will go a long way toward helping Burbank meet the goal. Burbank 2035, the City's General Plan adopted by the City Council in 2013, envisions Downtown Burbank as the center of the city where people live, work, and shop. “Downtown Burbank is the civic, shopping, dining and entertainment center of the city,” the plan reads. “As a community center with transit access, it is appropriate for Downtown to have a higher allowable intensity of development than other areas of the
community.” The proposed project will help the City fulfill its stated goals for the downtown area by
providing a wider range of housing options for residents; improving Burbank's jobs-housing balance while conserving Burbank's lower density residential
neighborhoods; and
locating higher density housing in a transit-rich area
Life at Burbank Town Center will feature a variety of living options with 795 multi-family homes at 600 N. San Fernando Blvd. on the former IKEA site, 265 apartments at the Office Depot site on Third Street, and 101 micro-units at 800 N. San Fernando Blvd.—new housing in the right location that encourages walking and with good public transit connections.
For more details on the plan and to stay up to date on the Burbank Town Center project as it makes its way through the city process, please visit http://www.iheartburbank.com/
CHAMBER EVENTS
RIBBON CUTTINGS Click on Pictures to enlarge. Photos: by Ross A. Benson
30th Anniversary Re-dedication
Ceremony/Ribbon Cutting
MILT & EDIE'S DRY CLEANERS Owners-Edie Chortkoff,
Beth Shader and Michael Shader 4021 W Alameda Ave.
Improving Communication and Gauging Community Support for Additional Funding
Each year the Board of Education of the Burbank Unified School District meets to develop a list of District-Wide Goals. These goals are usually crafted at a series of study sessions at which various stakeholder groups—teachers, parents, nonprofit agencies, PTA and booster groups, and community members—are invited to provide input. The current goals reflect the District's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). The LCAP
is intended to be a comprehensive planning tool within which each LCAP goal aligns to one or more of the eight state priorities: Student Engagement, Other Student Outcomes, Parental Involvement, Access to a Broad Curriculum, Common Core State Standards, Basic Services, School Climate, and Student Achievement. When the goals were set for 2017-18, the Board added a ninth goal: “Develop new communication and collaborative strategies with parents, students, employees, and the community.” As part of that overarching goal two sub-goals were added:
Convene a Communications Task Force to develop recommendations to improve communication, transparency,and collaboration
Begin conversation on a parcel tax
In the fall of 2017, the District convened a Communications Task Force and asked Carrie Brown, a local communications consultant, to be the group's facilitator. An internal kickoff meeting was held October 19. Board President Steve Ferguson and Board Member Char Tabet met with Facilitator Carrie Brown, Superintendent Hill, and Public Information Officer Kimberley Clark to set outlines for the group's work and to identify individuals to represent the various stakeholder groups including PTA, Boosters, Burbank Arts for All, parents, community members, District administrators, and union leadership.
The group has scheduled monthly meetings through the end of the school year and will begin developing a Communications Master Plan during the summer. Their work will be informed by the results of a Communications Survey that the group administered. The meetings held to date have focused on identifying what the District is doing correctly as well as which arears of communication could use improvement. A Parcel Tax Survey was distributed during the last week of March and the results of the survey were presented at the April 19, 2018, Board of Education meeting. More than 1,000 responses were received from registered Burbank voters likely to vote in the November 2018 election. The survey indicated that 65% of respondents believe that the school district has some need for additional funding. Support for a parcel tax was indicated by nearly two thirds (65%) of respondents using the scenario of 10 cents per square foot of improved property (both residential and commercial), while a measure levying a flat $365 per parcel garnered 60% support. Both scenarios would provide approximately $9 million in additional funding annually. The areas identified as highest priority in terms of needing additional funding were all tied to maintaining the high quality of Burbank schools:
Retaining and attracting quality teachers Preparing students for college and careers Keeping Burbank schools among the best in California Providing competitive 21st century learning at all schools Expanding and improving education in science, technology, engineering, and math Providing up-to-date instructional materials and classroom supplies Increasing job training and apprenticeship opportunities for high school students Upgrading student mental health programs
Matt Hill Superintendent, BUSD
In the current fiscal environment, in which California public schools rank in the bottom five in terms of funding nationwide, creative approaches to long-standing problems are necessary and the District will continue to look at options to provide the high-quality education Burbank residents expect.
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