City Approves Huge Universal Studios Expansion

The development Phoenix has flown over Downtown, Hollywood, and now over the hill to the Valley--the NBC Universal Evolution Plan, which has been kicking around in one form or another since 2008, has just gotten approvals from the City Council today (it'll still need to go another round with LA County). This is a huge expansion of the Universal Studios lot, adding two 500-room hotels, studio space, production facilities, offices, theme park attractions, retail, and restaurants (although it used to be even bigger, with 2,900 housing units, dropped from the plan this past summer). NBCUni will also add a new off-ramp for the 101, widen streets, and create a bikeway along the LA River. Neighborhood groups originally hated the Universal project, saying it was too big and would make traffic unbearable and so on, but the Studio City Patch reports that "all the Neighborhood Councils most affected by the expansion" are now on board. Meanwhile, officials are psyched, saying the project will help keep film production jobs in the city.
· NBCUniversal Drops All Housing From Huge Development Plans [Curbed LA]
· NBCUniversal Promises Money For Bike Paths, Gets Approval [Curbed LA]