The City of Burbank has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) evaluating a proposal to modify or remove two street intersection widenings identified in the Burbank Empire Center Environmental Impact Report (EIR) originally certified in 2000.
A 45-day public review and comment period for this Draft SEIR will begin on December 21, 2015 and will end on February 4, 2016. The original Empire Center EIR identified improvements to the Buena Vista/Empire and Buena Vista/Victory intersections to add turn lanes.
These improvements that had not been made were one of the points made by residents when they filed suit to stop the Walmart opening. A judge later ruled that Walmart could proceed as long as the City made the improvements that had been specified.
These improvements were identified as mitigation measures to reduce project impacts of the original Empire Center project to less than significant. These intersections were partially widened when the Empire Center was built, but full widening was not completed because acquisition of additional private property was required. 
The Draft SEIR has been prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines (California Code of regulations Section 15000 et seq.).
The SEIR assesses how modifications to the planned improvements at these intersections would affect Transportation & Traffic and Land Use.
The Draft SEIR identifies new land use impacts caused by the original intersection mitigation measures. Alternatives to the original two mitigation measures are identified in the Draft SEIR that would reduce land use impacts but create Transportation & Traffic impacts.
The draft, which is 109 pages long, is available to read on the City’s website.
Click here to review the Draft SEIR.
Comments on this Draft SEIR should be submitted in writing no later than February 4, 2016 to:
City of Burbank
Planning & Transportation Division
150 North Third Street
Burbank, California 91502
Contact: David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director
You may also email your comments to: dkriske@burbankca.gov. Please put “Empire Center SEIR” in the subject line and include the name of a contact person within the commenting agency.
You may contact David Kriske at (818) 238-5250 if you have any questions related to review of this Draft SEIR.
