Burbank planning officials, local developer discuss plans for proposed mixed-use project
Burbank planning officials and a local developer gathered additional information and listened to concerns from residents before they draft a report for a proposed large-scale, mixed-use project in the downtown area.
Michael Cusumano, co-owner of Cusumano Real Estate Group, presented plans during a scoping meeting Monday night for Premier on First, a project that would be built on a 1.8-acre lot on First Street between Verdugo and Tujunga avenues. It will include high-end apartment units and either a hotel or an office building, according to the plans.
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The development group is looking to build a 14-story tower at the corner of First and Verdugo consisting of 154 apartment units and about 10,400 square feet of retail space on the ground level. The building is planned to have 445 parking spaces, a swimming pool and a roof deck.
Cusumano said that he did not know what rent for the one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse units would cost, but he estimated the units would lease for about $2.75 to $3 per square foot.
“These will be upper-income apartments,” he said.
Developers are also leaning toward constructing a 12- to 13-story, 230-room hotel on the First and Tujunga side of the property with about 5,250 square feet of retail space and 256 parking spaces. A restaurant or a banquet room could be built on the top level, Cusumano said.
However, there is an office option for the First / Tujunga tower that is proposed to have 158,595 square feet of office space, about 11,728 square feet of retail space and 429 parking spaces.
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Resident Sharon Springer said that parking in the city, especially the downtown area, could be a problem. However, she said she was happy to see that the Cusumano group opted to construct the number of parking spaces required by the city under the Burbank2035 general plan for residential units.
The plan requires 1.75 parking spaces per one-bedroom unit, and two spaces for each two-bedroom unit. Additionally, the city requires one space for every four units in the project.
Springer said she also has concerns about the lack of open space in the project. Cusumano said the pool area could be increased and there could be a rooftop retreat, but Springer said the development lacked recreational space.
“We need some parks, like a dog park, where people can go and relax,” she said.
The meeting was in conjunction with an environmental impact report that Burbank needs to prepare to determine if the project would have negative impacts on the surrounding area.
Meridian Consultants, which was contracted by the city to draft the impact report, will be looking into aesthetic issues, air quality, impacts to cultural resources, geology, greenhouse-gas emissions related to the project, land use, noise, traffic and issues with utilities and services.
Should the project pose significant negative impacts to the surrounding area, the city and developer must identify ways to mitigate any issues.
City officials initially gave the Cusumano group until March 14 to collect resident input about the proposed Premier on First project before a draft of the environmental impact report is created.
However, a second scoping meeting is scheduled for March 28, and the deadline for public comments has been extended to April 13 to allow more feedback from residents, according to city senior planner Brian Foote.
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