Burbank is still good for a little NIMBY-style resistance, as a would-be condo developer found out the hard way in recent months. Developer New Urban West submitted a proposal back in June for a 120 unit condo development on five acres along Riverside Drive in the Rancho area of Burbank. That sounds "New," "Urban," and "West," doesn't it? Well hold it right there because "Even before the Burbank City Council had an opportunity to review the project, residents took their case to City Hall, railing against the proposal at a neighborhood planning meeting in November," reports the Burbank Leader. The outcry was enough for the developer to go back to the drawing board and scale back the proposal to "70, 60 and, finally, 50 units" of single family houses. Tom Zanic, senior vice president at New Urban West, tells the BL that "By going to 50, we are able to make all of them detached, single family, traditional homes." And the new proposal sounds like a late twentieth century dream come true, with houses ranging from 1,600 to 2,000 square feet, and "most with two stories and two-car garages."
The Rancho is known for its horsiness, but the proposed 50 lots won't be big enough to be "equestrian lots." Instead, the developer plans on partnering with stables "to offer one year of free stabling to the first 10 buyers."
The city will still have to approve the project, but Zanic promises that the current number of units is as low as New Urban West can go.
· Rancho gets new housing proposal [Burbank Leader]
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