1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 25, 2023
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director VIA: Fred Ramirez, Assistant Community Development Director, Planning David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director, Transportation
Scott Plambaeck, Planning Manager
BY: Daniel Villa, Senior Planner
Marcos Fuentes, Senior Transportation Planner
SUBJECT: Update on the Golden State Specific Plan and Potential Neighborhood Protection Plan
RECOMMENDATION
1. Provide policy direction on the Golden State Specific Plan Development Potential; and
2. Provide direction and input on whether staff should return to Council with further research on costs and timeline for preparation of a Golden State Specific Plan Neighborhood Protection Plan.
BACKGROUND
The Burbank2035 General Plan Realization Land Use Program LU-3 calls for the City to prepare a specific plan for the Golden State Area1 to provide a comprehensive framework for future development and mobility improvements consistent with Goal 12 of the Land Use Element, and other existing planning documents (e.g., Housing Element, Complete Streets Plan) which create a sense of place, foster neighborhood identity, and address issues that are specific to the area. The new specific plan is referred to as the Golden State Specific Plan (Specific Plan) in this report.
1 The name Golden State was the name of the former Redevelopment Project Area taken from the name of Interstate 5; “Golden State Freeway.”
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 To implement this General Plan program, staff applied for and was awarded $800,000 in California High Speed Rail A uthority Planning Grant funds, $389,000 from Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) under the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Grant Program , and $40 ,000 from State Local Action Planning Grant (LEAP) funds to create a new Specific Plan. As part of the project, the Specific Plan is considering an amendment to the Burbank2035 General Plan and undertak ing an appropriate environmental assessment, in the form of a Program Environmental Impact Report (Program EIR), pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The Specific Plan
The approximately 640-acre Golden State Area (Specific Plan Area) is located south and east of the Hollywood-Burbank Airport and is generally bounded by Cohasset Street and Interstate 5 to the north; Buena Vista Street to the east; Vanowen Street and Pacific Avenue to the South; and the Hollywood-Burbank Airport and the City boundary with Los Angeles to the west (Attachment 1 , Specific Plan Area Boundary Map) . It includes land zoned for industrial, commercial, and residential uses. There are two existing Metrolink stations, the Hollywood- Burbank Airport, and a potential High Speed Rail station within the Specific Plan Area. Home to Lockheed from the 1940s to the 1990s, it has been traditionally seen as one of the City’s industrial hubs and a major employment center.
With Lockheed’s departure in the 1990s, there was a slowdown in activity within the area.
More recently, this area experienced a resurgence and evolved as a major employment and transit hub that includes an eclectic mix of commercial, office, media, hospitality, industrial and technology businesses.
The Specific Plan is analyzing land use, infrastructure, transportation, pedestrian and bicycle amenities, and opportunities for new housing that is affordable for all income levels including our workforce and other in- fill development in proximity to major employment and transit centers. The Specific Plan will also analyze vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian connectivity within the Specific Plan Area (e.g., neighborhood services, airport, transit, employers, lodging) , confirm consistency with the City’s Complete Our Streets Plan and study ways to take advantage of economic development opportunities and job creation around the stations.
DISCUSSION
The Specific Plan - Update
The development of the Specific Plan launched in Fall 2016 and the current goal is to present a complete policy recommendation to Council in the f irst quarter of 2024. The Community Development Department has divided the formulation of the Specific Plan into the following five (5) phases:
o Phase 1 – Discovery (Completed)
o Phase 2 – Visioning (Completed)
o Phase 3 – Alternatives/Plan Preparation (June 2021 – Present) o Phase 4 – Public Review (Fall 2023)
o Phase 5 – Adoption and Implementation (First Quarter of 2024)
3 Community participation throughout every phase of the Specific Plan’s development has been identified as a priority to facilitate a shared community vision and preserving local control in the land development process. Consistent with City Council goals of facilitating greater com munity engagement, the City had multiple community workshops, online surveys, stakeholder interviews, a technical working group, and engagement of the various Burbank Boards, Commissions , and Committees. Below is a summary of work completed in Phases 1 through 3.
Phase 1 – Discovery
This phase has been completed. During the Discovery stage, a review of all existing documents and analysis of the Specific Plan A rea were undertaken by staff and the consultant team to gain a thorough understanding of the Project’s opportunities and constraints, the City’s needs and expectations , and identification of the preliminary plan goals and objectives.
This phase included a presentation to the Inter-Departmental Review Committee (IDRC) 2 on October 13, 2016; Council on October 18, 2016; a Virtual Community Workshop on February 11, 2017, wherein staff presented an overview of this phase of the P roject and received feedback from the community regarding existing conditions and needs within the Specific Plan Area; and concluded with stakeholder interviews on June 1, 2017 and February 7, 2018. The Project components were well received allowing staff and the consultant team to move to the next project phase.
Phase 2 – Visioning
This phase has been completed. Working off the information gathered during Phase 1, staff and the consultant team developed a draft Project Vision and Guiding Principles, as well as a draft Plan Framework that was used to describe the individual transformations that will be implemented by the Specific Plan to create a Specific Plan Area with diverse neighborhoods, districts, and corridors; a well-connected district, north to south and east to west; a street network accessible to all; a public realm of streets and parks; and parking for a mixed-use district. Furthermore, consideration of key projects anticipated within each neighborhood, district, and corridor were also shared.
This phase concluded with presentations to the IDRC on May 15, 2020; City Council on July 14, 2020; a Virtual Community Workshop on August 26, 2020, and various Burbank Boards, Commissions, and Committees between March 2021 and May 2021 , wherein staff presented an overview of this phase of the project and a draft of the Project Vision and Guiding Principles . These Project components were well received and confirmed allowing staff and the consultant team to move to the next project phase. The Project Vision and Guiding Principles are provided in Attachment 2. The Plan Framework is provided in Attachment 3 and includes a Land Use Approach.
2 The Inter-Departmental Review Committee (IDRC) is made of staff from the Community Development Department, Public Works Department, Parks and Recreation Department, Burbank Water and Power, Burbank Fire Department, Burbank Police Department, and the City Attorney’s Office. The IDRC reviews all development applications submitted to the City and serves as the Technical Advisory and Working Group for the Golden State Specific Plan Project.
4 Phase 3 – Alternatives/Plan Preparation
The Specific Plan project is currently in Phase 3, which includes the development of Land Use Alternatives, Development Potential, and work on drafts of the Specific Plan and associated Program EIR. Staff and the consultant team have used the input received in Phase 2, as well as information from the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element Update – approved by Council on September 27, 2022 and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD ) – to prepare D evelopment Land Use Alternatives and Development Potential for Council consideration. These Land Use Alternatives and Development Potential, as well as Council feedback received at the April 25, 2023, Council Meeting, will be shared with the community at a Community Reengagement Workshop scheduled for early June 2023.
Additionally, staff and the c onsultant team will provide an update to the Council in June or July 2023 that will outline recommended mobility improvements (bike/pedestrian/transit/roadway) within the Specific Plan Area.
Specific Plan Development Potential
Since June 2021, staff and the consultant team have worked on developing a draft of the Specific Plan and Program EIR that is responsive to community input, while also ensuring compliance with the State’s most current housing and land use regulations. Furthermore, staff continues to engage in discussions with the public including key stakeholders (who for the purposes of the Specific Plan are major property owners, significant businesses, and developers who have expressed interest in developing within the proposed Specific Plan Area), and staff to complete this effort. As part of this ongoing effort, staff and the consultant team have identified that updates to the Land Use Designations in the Burbank2035 General Plan are necessary to allow for an increase in the number of units and commercial/industrial Floor Area Ratio ( FAR) proposed to ensure that the Specific Plan is consistent with the envisioned development potential in the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element, Goal No. 12 of the Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Element, and the established Project Vision and Guiding Principles . A summary of these changes is below.
Burbank2035 Land Use Adjustments
To ensure consistency with the envisioned development potential in the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element, avoid incompatibilities within existing and ongoing industrial sectors, and ensure the long-term viability and continued use of commercial and industrial uses within the planning area, staff is proposing updates to Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Designations of commercial and industrial properties within the Specific Plan Area.
The General Plan updates will:
o Align proposed residential, industrial, and commercial land uses in the Specific Plan Area with the applicable siting limitations associated with new devel opment that is subject to a irport adjacency restrictions ( e.g., runway protection zones , noise contours).
o Fa cilitate for mixed-use residential development in key pockets of the Specific Plan Area near transit.
5 To comply with state law (CA Govt. Code Section 66300) and ensure a no net loss of residential units by prohibiting residential development on industrial property , and property subject to airport adjacency restrictions, adjustments are proposed to residential densities in key pockets within the Specific Plan Area. These changes include the creation of new Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Designations in the Specific Plan Area.
Instituting these changes would ensure a no net loss of residential development consistent with state law . A table showing existing and proposed land use designations with density and FAR, and maps which illustrate within the Specific Plan Area where these changes will be applied is provided in Attachment 4.
Working off the amendments to the Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use assumptions described above, staff and the consultant team revised the Specific Plan development potential that led to the creation of three land use alternatives being studied in the Program EIR. These alternatives are: (1) the Preferred Project; (2) Increased Growth; (3) No Growt h. The next section of this report provides discussion on each of these alternatives.
Preferred Project Development Potential
The revised development potential to be studied in the Program EIR as the “Preferred Project” reflects the proposed Burbank2035 General Plan Amendments discussed in the previous section and considers all the feedback received from the Council , community, staff, and key stakeholders. Furthermore, it is consistent with the Council Goal to facilitate the production of 12,000 new dwelling units citywide by the year 2035. It is also consistent with the adopted 2021 -2029 Housing Element, and helps the City meet its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirement of providing 8,772 housing units over the next eight years. Attachment 5 contains maps showing projects that are currently undergoing city review or are entitled in the Specific Plan a rea, ref erred to as “Pipeline/Entitled Projects”, and sites that have been identified as “ Opportunity Sites”.
These are sites that are currently occupied with surface parking lots, single-story buildings and/or underperforming uses, that have the greatest potential to accommodate the infill of housing within the Specific Plan’s 15-year planning horizon.
The residential development potential for the Opportunity Sites was calculated by multiplying the site acreage of each applicable Opportunity Site by the maximum density allowed by the General Plan as applied to the revised land use designations shown in the Existing and Proposed Development Potential Table in Attachment 4. It is assumed that the full commercial FAR allowed by the General Plan for each site generally will not be achieved. Based on existing market conditions and recent project applications, most sites are anticipated to develop between a range of 20% - 33% of the allowed commercial FAR.
Furthermore, based on continued engagement with property owners, developers, and other stakeholders, the General Plan’s TOD and Exceptional Project Density Bonus of a maximum of a 25% increase in density was applied to all Opportunity Sites. The following table shows the Preferred Project development potential for the Specific Plan Area:
6 Land Use Quantity (net)
Residential 6,897 units
Non-Residential 3,262,448 square feet
Table 1, Preferred Project Alternative.
A map exhibiting the Opportunity Sites, Pipeline/Entitled Projects and the development assumptions is provided in Attachment 5.
EIR Increased Growth Alternative
While work on the S pecific Plan has progress ed, several state laws have passed to streamline the development of housing, including the State Density Bonus Program , which allows developers the ability to exceed the base densities established in the Burbank2035 General Plan by up to 50%, in exchange for the development of affordable housing. The Increased Growth Alternative (IGA) will study additional growth beyond the Preferred Project development potential which includes the maximum 50% State Density Bonus Law density increase applied to all Opportunity Sites on top of the Preferred Project densities. Furthermore, additional infill sites with base density plus the maximum 50% State Density Bonus Law density increase are included to the IGA development potential.
The IGA will be analyzed to the same level as the Preferred Project in the EIR.
The purpose of the EIR’s comprehensive review of the IGA is to ensure that potential density increases resulting from a developer-initiated density bonus under state law is sufficiently analyzed to inform the public and decision makers of any potential significant environmental impacts. This analysis will also help establish future policy and work plan considerations to facilitate upgrades to City infrastructure to keep pace with projected development. The analysis also helps to ensure that all development addresses their fair share of impacts to the City’s infrastructure inclusive of the construction of needed upgrades to serve individual projects and the payment of associated development impact fees (General Plan Land Use Element Goal No. 2: Sustainability, Policy No. 2.3). The following table shows the Increased Growth Alternative development potential for the Specific Plan Area:
Land Use Quantity (net)
Residential 9,047 units
Non-Residential 3,262,448 square feet
Table 2, Increased Growth Alternative.
A map showing the Opportunity Sites, Pipeline/Entitled Projects and the development assumptions is provided in Attachment 6.
EIR No Project Alternative
This alternative assumes no specific plan project and assumes the build- out of Housing Element Opportunity Sites as described in the adopted Housing Element , the existing “Pipeline/Entitled Projects” and the existing Burbank2035 General Plan Development Potential as noted in Land Use Element Table LU-2. This alternative will be studied in the Program EIR.
7 A map of the Housing Element Opportunity Sites is provided in Attachment 7 and the Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Element Table LU-2 is provided in Attachment 8.
Specific Plan Next Steps
Following the City Council Meeting on April 25, 2023, a Project update will be presented at a Community Meeting in early June 2023, and staff and the consultant team will provide an update to the Council outlin ing recommended mobility improvements (bike/pedestrian/transit/roadway) within the Specific Plan Area in June or July 2023.
Additionally, staff and the consultant team will continue to work on completing a draft of the Specific Plan and Program EIR with an anticipated release of both for public review by Fall 2023. Future community workshops, presentations to the various Burbank boards, commissions, and committees, and key stakeholder meetings will be held leading up to the release of the draft documents and during the review of the documents . Staff anticipates both the Specific Plan and Program EIR will be brought to the Council for review and consideration of approval in the first quarter of 2024.
Neighborhood Protection Plan
At the November 1, 2022 Council Meeting, Vice Mayor Schultz asked for a first step report for Council consideration of a potential Neighborhood Protection Plan for the Specific Plan Area. This was in response to neighborhood concerns regarding proposed residential developments within the Specific Plan Area, including (1) the approved redevelopment of the former Fry’s Site at 2311 North Hollywood Way , with a total of 862 residential units and 151,8 00 square- feet of office space ; and (2) three proposed Senate Bill (SB) 35 projects proposing a total of 619 residential units along Empire Avenue, between Hollywood Way and Buena Vista Street – the SB 35 projects are located at 2814 Empire Avenue (148 units), 3000 Empire Avenue ( 340 units) , and 3001 Empire Avenue (131 units).
What is a Neighborhood Projection Plan?
Neighborhood Protection Plans (NPP) are recommended in the Burbank2035 General Plan as a method to protect neighborhoods and preserve quality of life by managing traffic patterns in a specific geographic area. The purpose of an NPP is to protect residential neighborhoods from impacts caused by cut -through vehicle traffic that utilizes local streets to travel through a neighborhood to a destination outside the area. This is achieved through a series of strategic street improvements that discourage cut -through traffic .
Examples of measure s previously implemented in other parts of the City include street closures, cul-de-sacs, traffic diverters, speed humps, traffic circles/roundabouts, speed limit reductions, and curb bulb-outs.
NPPs are often established in response to several factors, including:
o Existing or anticipated regional traffic caused by existing or proposed development near the neighborhood.
o Traffic bypassing congestion on an arterial roadway; and o Characteristics of a neighborhood street (traffic volumes and speeds) that do no t match the designation and purpose of that street.
8 The Burbank2035 General Plan’s Mobility Element Goal 6 identifies NPPs as an important strategy to preserve livability of residential neighborhoods while allowing the City to accommodate the forecasted increase in commercial and residential development.
Further, Policy 6.3 encourages the City to pursue comprehensive neighborhood protection programs to avoid diverting unwanted traffic to adjacent streets and neighborhoods. There are currently seven established NPPs distributed across the City (Attachment 9).
Neighborhood Protection Plan – Next Steps
There is increased interest in development within the Specific Plan Area. Over the past five years, the Specific Plan Area has seen the development of the 60 plus acre mixed- commercial development at Avion Burbank, and the Madison Square Garden Sphere Studios. There are also several proposed residential, office, hotel , and industrial developments currently undergoing City review. Additionally, the Specific Plan forecasts additional growth within the Specific Plan Area through 2035. To get ahead of potential shifts in traffic patterns resulting from recent and anticipated development , and to proactively protect existing residential neighborhoods from potential impacts , the City Council can direct staff to commence work on a Specific Plan NPP.
Attachment 10 includes an overview of potential Specific Plan NPP Boundaries. The potential boundaries include residential neighborhoods within and adjacent to the Specific Plan Area. They broadly encompass the area bounded by Buena Vista Street to the east, North San Fernando Boulevard to north, Clybourne Avenue to the west, and Victory Boulevard to the south. The street profiles found within these boundaries range from major arterial roads like Empire Avenue, North Hollywood Way, and Victory Boulevard, to second arterial roads like Buena Vista Street, along with various collectors and local neighborhood roadways. All of which serve a vital role in connecting these neighborhoods to the rest of the City and the region. Based on lessons learned through the adoption and implementation of NPPs in other parts of the City, this NPP would provide a tailored approach to safeguard residential areas within and adjacent to the Specific Plan Area.
Should Council wish to proceed with initiating an NPP as part of the Specific Plan, staff recommends that the Community Development Department lead this effort in collaboration with the Public Works Department. In addition, staff recommends that Council direct staff to prepare a second step report on this matter. The second step report would provide additional information on the process involved in the completion of an NPP, including but not limited to: (1) estimated cost; (2) procurement process for transportation planning, traffic engineering, and public outreach consultant services to perform the necessary data collection, analysis, outreach, and environmental services necessary to develop the plan update; (3) the process involved in the preparation of an NPP; and ( 4) eventual implementation of the NPP . Staff estimates the cost to prepare a n NPP could be approximately $250,000. However, this will be confirmed as part of the second step report. This includes the c ost to fund the transportation planning efforts needed to evaluate cut -through traffic impacts to the neighborhood, undertake public outreach, prepare any associated environmental analysis, and develop appropriate neighborhood protection measures. This cost does not include the design and construction of any improvements identified in the plan and does not include the ongoing maintenance associated with any constructed improvements.
9 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
This Staff Report has no potential for resulting in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment and falls outside the definition of a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA ) and is therefore not subject to CEQA pursuant to Section 15378 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. This staff report is for informational purposes only regarding the Specific Plan, and a possible Specific Plan NPP.
However, the Specific Plan Project is subject to CEQA. To fulfil the requirements of CEQA, a Program EIR is being prepared. A Program EIR is an EIR , which may be prepared on a series of actions that can be characterized as one large project and are related either: (1) Geographically, (2) As logical parts in the chain of contemplated actions, (3) In connection with issuance of rules, regulations, plans, or other general criteria to govern the conduct of a continuing program, or (4) As individual activities carried out under the same authorizing statutory or regulatory authority and having generally similar environmental effects that can be mitigated in similar ways. A specific plan is an ideal type of project for which a Program EIR is appropriate.
A Program EIR also has several strategic advantages. The Program EIR can: (1) Provide an occasion for a more exhaustive consideration of effects and alternatives than would be practical in an EIR on an individual action; (2) Ensure consideration of cumulative impacts that would not normally be reviewed on a case-by-case analysis; (3) Avoid duplicative reconsideration of basic policy c onsiderations; (4) Allow the lead agency to consider broad policy alternatives and program-wide mitigation measures at an early time when the agency has greater flexibility to deal with basic problems or cumulative impacts; and (5) Allow reduction in paperwork and a more streamlined review of future projects that are consistent with the EIR.
As part of the Program EIR, a comprehensive study of the utility infrastructure that serves the Specific Plan Area will be prepared to ensure that appropriate policy and planning strategies are established so that the anticipated future growth within the Specific Plan Area is adequately served by critical utility services.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to receiving the information contained in this report. As noted previously, City staff applied for and was awarded $800,000 in California High Speed Rail Authority Planning Grant funds , $389,000 from Metro under the TOD Planning Grant Program, and $ 40,000 in LEAP funds. Additionally, f unds are available in the current Fiscal Year 2022- 2023 Budget to cover the remaining approved project budget. Any future request to amend the scope of the project and/or increase the budget would be brought forth for Council’s consideration.
CONCLUSION
The Specific Plan presents an opportunity for the City to plan in a manner that leverages resources in the Specific Plan Area to meet the City’s short-term and long-term planning efforts that include ensuring compliance with state housing and land use regulations and implementing Council housing and neighborhood protection goals, while also preserving as much local control in the land use planning process as possible. Consistent with these 10 goals, staff is seeking policy direction and input from the City Council on (1) the Development Potential for the Specific Plan Area; and (2) whether staff should return to Council with further research on costs & timeline for preparation of a Golden State Specific Plan Neighborhood Protection Plan.
Future progress reports and study sessions will be provided to City Council throughout the remainder of the project, with a forthcoming study session on recommended mobility improvements (bike/pedestrian/transit/roadway) in June or July 2023. Completion of the Specific Plan will help facilitate the collaborative process between staff, the community, and Council to facilitate a shared vision for the larger planning area for a safe, beautiful, and thriving community.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Specific Plan Area Boundary Map
Attachment 2 – Vision and Guiding Principles
Attachment 3 – Plan Framework (Land Use Plan)
Attachment 4 – Proposed Land Use Plan and Existing Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Map
Attachment 5 – Preferred Project Development Potential Map Attachment 6 – Increased Growth Alternative Development Potential Map Attachment 7 – No Project Alternative, Opportunity Sites Map Attachment 8 – Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Table LU-2 Attachment 9 – Existing Neighborhood Protection Plans (citywide) Attachment 10 – Potential Golden State Pacific Plan NPP Boundaries