My very first job as a 16-year-old clerk in North Hollywood showed me a subtle difference between Burbank and Los Angeles.
The pavement in front of my employer, along Victory Boulevard, was rough, cracked and in need of repair, as was most of the street heading westward into North Hollywood, part of the city of Los Angeles.
I frequently avoided traveling in that direction, missing out on great restaurants and shops because the suspect road quality made the trip less appealing.
Contrast that with the smooth and inviting path about 100 yards down the road in Burbank.
A few of my lunches ended up at Chili John’s, at Giamela’s (the pepper steak sandwiches were divine) or in downtown Burbank.
There was always just a certain dynamism in Burbank, whether that was paved roads, friendly eateries, great shops or a vibrant nightlife that has been somewhat fleeting in other parts of Los Angeles, including downtown.
Why downtown Burbank is thriving was a question my colleague Roger Vincent answered in his latest article.
Let’s jump into the piece.
A mixing of old and new
Much has changed since “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” was a running joke on midcentury TV shows such as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
It still has Bob’s Big Boy, the last restaurant of a once-large chain known for its chubby mascot, and Milt & Edie’s, a quirky pink-awninged 24-hour tailor and dry cleaner dating to the 1980s.
The city tries to keep its idiosyncratic businesses going while prospecting for newcomers.
It wants to populate downtown with fun storefronts. It has a team working from a master list of desired tenants, boosting Burbank for consideration by popular shops, restaurants and cafes. They represent the city at big shopping and real estate events to stir up interest.
“The city wanted an H&M years ago, and now we have an H&M. We wanted a Sephora, and now we have a Sephora,” said Mary Hamzoian, economic development manager.
It also convinced Philz Coffee to come to town and now has the biggest IKEA in the country.
Finding a balance between building and overdevelopment
Burbank has a population of about 100,000, and is trying to build more homes downtown.
The city intends to add 10,000 housing units downtown in the years ahead, a move that streamlining the development approval process.
First Street Village, a 275-unit apartment complex built in 2023 with ground-floor retail such as a wine bar, fitness center and pet groomer, got help from the city.
The city’s 3-to-1 jobs-to-housing imbalance is one of the biggest in the country and a lure for builders, said apartment developer Chris Tourtellotte. In tech-charged parts of the Bay Area, the housing-to-jobs ratio is 2-to-1, and Los Angeles is closer to 1-to-1.
“Burbank is severely underserved” with housing, Tourtellote said.
Not every resident is happy about the development. Burbank locals have resisted growth in the past, said real estate consultant Chris Baer of Avison Young.
“There was a lot of NIMBYism,” he said, but “there is a whole new thought process about it now. Both the state of California and the city really wanted to change that dynamic. There are so many jobs in the city but not enough places for people to live.”
More locals are willing to accept development, as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the quaintness of the city, apartment developer Tourtellote said.
Burbank’s secret formula to success
Downtown L.A. could benefit from Burbank’s approach, said Nella McOsker, president of the Central City Assn. business support group.
“Downtown L.A. should be a priority zone where the city could implement a white glove approach to helping retailers,” she said. “Progressive values and economic growth are not competing values.”
Embracing businesses, helping the homeless and keeping streets clean make downtown Burbank a go-to destination for more shoppers, diners and commuters, city officials told Vincent.
“You have to be vigilant with your maintenance, with your homeless outreach, with outreach to businesses, with your marketing and PR,” said Community Development Director Patrick Prescott. “It’s just constant vigilance.”
Check out the full article here.
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