In February, Burbank released a preliminary draft of its Burbank2035 General Plan--a planning document being developed by the Burbank Planning and Transportation Division, as required by the state, which "anticipates and plans for change occurring in the community." The city council held a hearing shortly after the document's release, and you know what's nice? As far as we can tell, there has been no strife and no discord (see for a counterpoint, the Hollywood Community Plan). The plan is a long time coming; the whole document was last updated in the 1960s, although it has been given small updates over the years. A lot has changed since then, as explained by the Land Use Element of the Burbank2035 draft: "Since the last update to the Land Use Element, Lockheed departed and was replaced with a regional shopping center; the Chandler railroad line was abandoned and transformed into a popular bikeway; the Golden Mall was removed and Downtown Burbank grew into a shopping, dining, and entertainment destination, and Burbank became The Media Capital of the World."
So what does Burbank anticipate for the future? The document is pretty progressive, with sections on air quality, climate change, open space conservation, and chapters labeled "Sustainability through Diversity" and "Greenprint for a Healthy Community." Noise from rail, airplanes, and cars is an obvious concern (the airport is also due for an update). The Land Use Element supports mixed use and increased "residential densities and non-residential intensities" within a quarter mile of transit facilities. Language to protect residential neighborhoods from encroachment by "incompatible land uses" is also included. A complete map of the land uses is below.
Burbank really seems to be having fun with this whole exercise. When you visit the Burbank2035 plan, for instance, the site displays the big word cloud shown above and they have even created an avatar for a character named Planner Andy, who will help crowdsource ideas about how residents view their city.
We're particularly stoked about Planner Andy. The site explains that "There are still many places in Burbank that Planner Andy hasn't had a chance to see - why don't you take him along with you to some of your favorite places in Burbank and take a photo? Or, show him some of the things you'd like to see in Burbank by the year 2035! To download your own Planner Andy, click the picture below. Print him out, take him around town, and make sure you send us your photo to see it posted here and on our Facebook page!" Or you could save paper, take the photo, and then layer him in using Photohop, but kudos to Burbank for all the cute creativity.
· Burbank2035 General Plan [City of Burbank]
· Burbank2035 [Facebook]
· Could a New Terminal Turn Around Sad Old Burbank Airport? [Curbed LA]
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