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City Council to discuss Regulations to Establish Objective Design and Development Standards for Mixed-Use and Residential Projects in Nonresidential Zones
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Staff presents new proposed standards for mixed use projects in commercial zones...


Apparently there's been a lot of scrambling going on in the planning department for the past few months.  Our state legislators announced in September of 2022, plans to force cities to increase housing in areas that were previously zoned for commercial use only.  The Bill is referred to as AB 2011 and it requires California cities to fast track approval for mixed use projects (housing and retail) in areas that are currently zoned for commercial use only.  Of course Burbank has no building standards for this kind of development except for some areas in the Media District.  

There is an abundance of empty or underutilized lots in parts of Burbank especially near the airport and along the highway 5 corridor.  The areas of greatest concern to residents will be those in Magnolia Park, specifically along Olive Ave., Burbank Blvd. and Magnolia Blvd.  Most of those commercial buildings are 1-2 stories in height with alleys behind that back to residential housing.  AB 2011 forces cities to approve what could be large housing projects onto land that is currently home to smaller commercial buildings and shops.  The fear is that enormous housing projects could be built that would tower over the neighborhoods behind, reducing views, daylight and of course privacy.  It also appears that any of these projects within a half-mile of mass transit (busses exclusively in Magnolia Park) would allow for less parking spaces than typically allowed for other residential housing projects.  The assumption of course is that people living in these buildings will be more likely to use mass transit than having their own vehicles.  Residents are already reeling from the increase of cars being parked on residential streets with the advent of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) already going up on just about every block in the city.  ADUs do not require any additional off street parking so if you are wondering why it's getting harder to park in front of your home or place your garbage cans out for collection, you can thank Sacramento.  

The proposed standards were presented to the Planning Commission (formerly known as the Planning Board) last week with only 4 of 5 commissioners in attendance, the vote was 2 in favor and 2 against.  This meant no recommendation was made to the City Council.  It appears Staff was disappointed with that result and really stepped up their game for the City Council presentation last night.  

As a former architect (decades before I became a residential real estate agent) I was impressed with the drawings and presentation made by staff.  The photo above contrasts Staff's interpretation of what could have been built in these new multi-use zones if no new standards were approved.  I was personally involved in these kinds of developments when I was an architect in the 1980's back in Minneapolis.  The only thing I found amusing was the firm I worked for used to propose projects that looked like the building on the right with all the architectural details and fenestration, but after the projects went out for bids, the actual buildings that we built looked like the one on the left.  It was a big part of why I left architecture.    

Questions were asked about parking, maximum building heights and density, as well as concerns about view obstruction and privacy for existing neighborhoods.  Staff mentioned criteria for limiting the height based on the width of the building, but in reading the written standards that were approved, they seem to be completely different criteria based on the distance to the closest existing residential homes.  Either way, it appears the maximum heights of these new projects seem to be in the 35' to 45' range with exceptions for projects within 1/2 mile of mass transit being allowed to be as high as 65'.  Keep in mind that if buses run down Olive, Burbank or Magnolia blvd., ALL of those streets would qualify for the 65' height allotment.  That means 6 or 7 story buildings.  

One thing is for certain, Burbank has no plans to fight Sacramento on any of this.  After it was suggested that we join the efforts of cities like Huntington Beach in pushing back on AB 2011, our city attorney claimed erroneously that it is not the city that is suing Sacramento, but the State suing Huntington Beach.  Our research suggests just the opposite is going on.  He went on to say that no city has been successful in fighting the state on any of it's mandates; essentially throwing in the towel.  There appears to be no interest by any of the Council members to fight these mandates and several suggested this is all the fault of previous City Councils' inaction to add much needed housing.  

In summary, it appears we are trying to slap some guidelines together before the July 1st activation date for AB 2011.  The argument being that we should at least try to tell developers what we want before they start submitting their projects.  My only question is how effective these "diamond earrings on a sow's ear" efforts will be if a developer complains to the State about any of our requirements?  Won't the State be able to override anything they see as an attempt to prevent these developments?  

I guess the answer is, "We'll see."  

As always, I am available to discuss all things Burbank housing related so please don’t hesitate to call me at 818-641-9050 or by email at jpcspeaks@gmail.com or info@preserveburbank.com

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