Burbank, the self proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World,” is getting something it hasn’t seen in years, a major housing development.
It is Talaria at Burbank in the city’s Media District.
Anchored by a Whole Foods Market, the mixed-use development will have 241 apartments above the store.
While some residents expressed concerns before the project was approved in 2014 that it would bring more cars into the area, the city’s spokesman says Talaria may eventually help reduce traffic.
“You have on average about 125,000 people coming into Burbank (each work day) because housing did not keep pace with jobs,” said Drew Sugars, the city’s spokesman. “They go home at night and that clogs up our (freeway) ramps.”
The problem is not enough land.
There are few, if any, parcels big enough in Burbank to build housing.
“This is the first significant housing we’ve had in the city in the last five to six years,” Sugars said.
He also acknowledged that society is changing and one of those changes is people want to live close to where they work.
In this regard, the numbers don’t add up in Burbank’s favor.
Burbank businesses support 150,000 jobs but only about 25,000 people in those jobs live in town.
The city hopes projects like Talaria — which is being developed by the Burbank-based Cusumano Real Estate Group — could help chip away at the imbalance.
Work on the project began last year and it’s expected to be completed in the spring of 2018, said Michael Cusumano, the company’s managing director.
Talaria is located along the 134 Freeway between Alameda and Olive avenues, two of the city’s major thoroughfares.
“This is a location where people can walk or bike to work,” Cusumano said. “The focus of this project was to create all the amenities you need in a day within the project and reduce the reliance on your car.”
Employers a short stroll away include The Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros., and iHeart Media. Johnny Carson Park is within walking distance, too.
The development company has been working on the project since 2008 and had to negotiate deals on 27 parcels over two city blocks and then go through the city’s approval process, said Cusumano of the length of time from conception to breaking ground.
Talaria consists of one, two and three bedroom units.
Residents will be able to park in 760 spaces underground, 100 more than required by code because of the expected popularity of the Whole Foods.
“We had to dig a pretty deep hole,” said Cusumano.
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