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<\/p>\nA Burbank landlord trying to land a trendy ice cream shop tenant got a critical assist from the city that helped seal the deal.<\/p>\n
When a Van Leeuwen Ice Cream representative came to look at his space in the center of downtown Burbank in April, a senior city official was there to help woo the brand, said Kurt Kaufman of West Coast Investors, which owns the property. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Look, guys, we aren\u2019t the city of L.A. We can make things happen,\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201cThey were able to open in quite record speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Leeuwen had expected to have to wait until next year, but was able to open its doors in time for peak ice cream season, summer, in part because of the city\u2019s help. <\/p>\n
While downtown Los Angeles is languishing, Burbank is booming. <\/p>\n
Its secret formula, the city says, is embracing businesses, helping the homeless and keeping streets clean, to make downtown a go-to destination for more shoppers, diners and commuters. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be vigilant with your maintenance, with your homeless outreach, with outreach to businesses, with your marketing and PR,\u201d said Community Development Director Patrick Prescott. \u201cIt\u2019s just constant vigilance.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A man walks past a mural on Orange Grove Avenue off of San Fernando Boulevard.<\/p>\n
(David Butow \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Much has changed since \u201cBeautiful Downtown Burbank\u201d was a running joke on midcentury TV shows such as \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.\u201d<\/p>\n
It still has Bob\u2019s Big Boy, the last restaurant of a once-large chain known for its chubby mascot, and Milt & Edie\u2019s, a quirky pink-awninged 24-hour tailor and dry cleaner dating to the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Young city staffers don\u2019t remember Carson or Bob Hope, whose name was taken off the local airport in 2017, but they are helping build a new identity for the unassuming but world-famous enclave, home to major studios Warner Bros. Discovery and Walt Disney. <\/p>\n
The new name of the airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport, points to the bigger branding Burbank is aiming for. The airport is getting a new $1.3-billion terminal set to open in October. <\/p>\n
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 off of a master list of desired tenants, boosting Burbank for consideration for popular shops, restaurants and cafes. They represent the city at big shopping and real estate events to stir up interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city wanted an H&M years ago, and now we have an H&M. We wanted a Sephora, and now we have a Sephora,\u201d said Mary Hamzoian, economic development manager. <\/p>\n
It also convinced Philz Coffee to come to town and now has the biggest IKEA in the country. <\/p>\n
Downtown L.A.could benefit from Burbank\u2019s approach, said Nella McOsker, president of the Central City Assn. business support group.<\/p>\n
\u201cDowntown L.A. should be a priority zone where the city could implement a white glove approach to helping retailers,\u201d she said. \u201cProgressive values and economic growth are not competing values\u201d<\/p>\n
Burbank has a population of about 100,000, which doubles during the workday. It is competing with Glendale, Pasadena and the Studio City neighborhoods of Los Angeles, so the city also makes an effort to keep tenants from leaving by visiting them to see if they\u2019re having any issues. <\/p>\n
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cenes on San Fernando Blvd. late in the afternoon on Saturday.<\/p>\n
(David Butow\/For the Times)<\/p>\n
Burbank is also trying to build more homes downtown. The city intends to add 10,000 housing units downtown in the years ahead, which will require streamlining the development approval process to eliminate hurdles. First Street Village, a 275-unit apartment complex built in 2023 that has ground-floor retail such as a wine bar, fitness center and pet groomer, got help from the city.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s 3-to-1 imbalance of jobs to housing 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cBurbank is severely underserved\u201d with housing, Tourtellote said. His Marina del Rey company LaTerra Development recently completed a 575-unit complex along the 5 Freeway near the Burbank MetroLink station that caters to tenants in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n
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