Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Burbank RNSP is being prepared by the City of Burbank, supported by a consultant team. The team includes professionals in planning, urban design, transportation, economics, urban equestrianism, and community engagement. The consultant team is being led by Dudek and supported by Kearns & West, South Environmental, Fehr and Peers, Pro Forma Advisors, and Gene G. Gilbert & Associates.  

    The City is committed to a transparent and inclusive planning process. You will likely engage with some of our project team members at community events and public meetings throughout the life of the project. For your reference, core members of the project team are listed below.

    • Greg Mirza-Avakyan, City of Burbank Project Manager

    • Amanda Landry, City of Burbank Planner

    • Gaurav Srivastava, Dudek, Planner and Urban Designer

    • Jenna Tourje-Maldonado, Kearns & West, Community Outreach & Engagement

    • Gene Gilbert, Gene S. Gilbert & Associates, Equestrian Advisor

    • Sarah Corder, South Environmental, Architectural Historian

    To contact us, please contact the City’s Project Manager, Greg Mirza-Avakyan, at gmirzaavakyan@burbankca.gov or call (818) 238-5250. 

  • The Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan is funded by the City’s General Fund. 

  • The Burbank RNSP will be informed by an inclusive and transparent outreach and engagement process. It will prioritize opportunities for the community to provide meaningful input throughout the entire process. You can get involved by any of the following methods:

    Additionally, the planning process will rely on a multipronged approach across three rounds of work that allow for multiple event/meeting types across multiple locations in the community in both online and in-person formats, as described in more detail below.

    Round 1 – Visioning

    In the first round, the project team will focus activities on the idea of visioning designed to garner interest in the project, share background information, and solicit ideas about the future vision of the neighborhood. This first round will consist of publishing a project website, noticing the public, conducting focused stakeholder discussions, and facilitating the first community event.

    Round 2 – Community Design Options

    In the second round, the project team will host a series of pop-up events throughout the community to gather input on initial ideas and options for the future of the neighborhood, including areas for improvement across the topics of land use, mobility, the public realm, and open space.

    Round 3 – Draft Specific Plan

    After a draft of the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan is prepared, the project team will host Open House events to share the draft and gather input, from which the project team will use to update the plan and then finalize for adoption.

  • All outreach and engagement materials for this project will be provided in English. Project events will be staffed by both English- and Spanish-speaking translators. To request materials in Spanish or other languages, please contact the City’s Project Manager, Greg Mirza-Avakyan, at gmirzaavakyan@burbankca.gov or call (818) 238-5250. 

  • In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, if you require a disability-related modification or accommodation to attend or participate in a project event, such as auxiliary aids and services available for individuals with speech, vision, or hearing impairments, please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (818) 238-5051 at least 48 hours prior to a scheduled event.

  • The Burbank Rancho Neighborhood (the Rancho) is a unique neighborhood within the City of Burbank, California. It takes its name from two “ranchos” - San Rafael and Providencia. Ranchos were large tracts of land meant to encourage settlement in California that were granted by the Spanish and, subsequently, Mexican governments. In 1867, Dr. David Burbank purchased the two ranchos, portions of which would eventually comprise the City of Burbank.

    Located along the southern edge of Burbank, the Rancho encompasses approximately 315 acres. It is comprised of two non-contiguous areas – East and West Rancho. East Rancho is bounded generally by Alameda Avenue and Oak Street to the north, Victory Boulevard to the east, Los Angeles River to the south, and Keystone Street to the west. West Rancho occupies a smaller geography bounded by Reval Court to the north, Bob Hope Drive to the east, the Los Angeles River to the south, and California Street to the west.

    Today, the Rancho is primarily a residential neighborhood comprising single- and multi-family homes. It has historically allowed the unique activity of urban horse keeping, a practice and identity that persists to this day. The Rancho is also home to a variety of non-residential uses, like retail, office, recreation, open space, churches, and schools. Notably, it benefits from direct access to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and Griffith Park across the Los Angeles River (the latter via the historic Mariposa Street Bridge). In addition, the Rancho sits adjacent to the Burbank Media District on the west, a nationally significant cluster of entertainment, media, and studio uses like the Walt Disney Company, ABC Television, Warner Bros. Studios, and more.

  • Located along the southern edge of Burbank, the Rancho encompasses approximately 315 acres. It is comprised of two non-contiguous areas – East and West Rancho. East Rancho is bounded generally by Alameda Avenue and Oak Street to the north, Victory Boulevard to the east, Los Angeles River to the south, and Keystone Street to the west. West Rancho occupies a smaller geography bounded by Reval Court to the north, Bob Hope Drive to the east, the Los Angeles River to the south, and California Street to the west. See map HERE.

  • The City of Burbank is currently preparing the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan (RNSP). On March 28, 2023, Burbank City Council directed staff to proceed with the preparation of the RNSP and indicated that it address, at a minimum, the following:

    • Establishment of objective standards that are aligned with the community’s vision, including balancing demands for responsible development, retaining local control, and preservation of the equestrian lifestyle

    • Incorporation of the City’s Complete Our Streets Plan Equestrian Design Guidelines

    • Possible rezoning of land to comply with applicable state and local housing and land use laws, including an assessment of existing M-1 (industrial) zoned property

    • Evaluation of a potential historic district and/or equestrian overlay

    • Assessment of potential impacts to City services and infrastructure from proposed development and implementation of the Plan

  • A Specific Plan is a regulatory document that establishes the long-term vision and development framework for a specific area of a city. While required to maintain consistency with a city’s General Plan, a Specific Plan provides a more detailed and customized approach. Informed by community input, a Specific Plan provides goals, policies, regulations, and implementation measures to implement the community’s vision, including design and development standards for private property, public realm improvements, and funding and financing strategies.

    The Rancho is currently regulated by the Burbank 2035 General Plan and the Burbank Zoning Code (specifically, Article 24. Rancho Master Plan Zones). The RNSP aims to build on this framework and update existing policies and regulations to align with both community input and City Council direction (noted above). The planning process to prepare the RNSP will be a transparent and inclusive one meant to ensure that the needs and desires of everyone in the community are addressed, while at the same time complying with applicable local and state laws. To do so, the City is partnering with the community to establish a new vision and regulatory framework for the Rancho for the future. To learn more about how you can get involved, click HERE.

  • The City is embarking on a 4-phase process that will result in the formal adoption of the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan.

    Phase 1 – Analysis and Visioning  (Spring/Summer 2025)

    The first phase will consist of analysis to understand existing conditions, within the Rancho across the topics of land use, mobility, environmental, open space, demographics, history, culture, economics, and more. Starting with this phase, the project team will listen and learn from the community across a series of community activities to better understand their concerns, ideas, and aspirations for the future.

    Phase 2 – Community Design Options (Fall/Winter 2025)

    The second phase will consist of developing and testing future planning alternatives for the Rancho. They will be evaluated in partnership with the community on how they address and perform against the goals established in the first phase.

    Phase 3 – Preferred Plan (Spring/Summer 2026)

    In the third phase, the project team will refine a preferred alternative that will form the basis of the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan (RNSP).

    Phase 4 – Adoption and Implementation (Winter 2026)

    The final phase includes the development of the necessary environmental review subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as the public hearing process for the adoption of the final deliverable – the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan.

  • The demographic profile of the Burbank Rancho reflects a diverse community.  The population is a mix of families, working professionals, and long-time residents, with a relatively balanced age distribution. Families with children are common, drawn by top-rated schools like William McKinley Elementary and Burroughs High School. Empty-nesters and retirees also feature prominently, while younger singles or couples in their 20s and 30s, often tied to the nearby studios and related media industry, add vibrancy to the area.

    Ethnically, the Burbank Rancho mirrors the City of Burbank’s diversity, which is approximately 60% White, 25% Hispanic or Latino, 10% Asian, and 5% Black or other races. Median household incomes are high, estimated at $125,500, which surpasses the City-wide figure of approximately $97,400 annually. Educationally, over 60% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, which also exceeds citywide education levels.  The Burbank Rancho is known for being a low-turnover community with over 3,800 residents (along with a notable equestrian population).

    Source: ESRI Business Analyst (2024)

  • The top 5 businesses ranked by employment are AAA, Burbank Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, Pavilions, International School of Los Angeles / Lycée International (LILA), and Smart Post Sound. These businesses all employ over 100 individuals and are representative of the diverse set of industries located in the Burbank Rancho.

    Source: Axle Business Locations (2024)

  • Title 5 (Policy and Public Safety) of the Burbank Municipal Code requires that all horses have a valid registration with the Burbank Animal Shelter and pay a registration fee. This requirement does not apply to horses temporarily brought into the City for less than 30 days for commercial purposes. To access the registration application, click HERE.