Crown Unveils 276-Unit Buena Vista Project

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)

BURBANK, CA-Crown Realty & Development and Fairfield Residential have unveiled their plans for a 276-unit mixed use residential and retail project that will include the redevelopment of an office building site near the Burbank Media District. The Buena Vista development is slated for a site at 1935 Buena Vista St. and will include the razing of the existing 130,000 sf of unoccupied structures on the property.The project, which was approved unanimously by the Burbank City Council, will target the growing demand for infill housing in the city's core, according to Crown Realty's principals, Jaime Sohacheski and Robert Flaxman. Flaxman says the joint venture development represents a rare opportunity to obtain entitlements for such a project at one of the few sites suited for higher density dwellings in the city.Among the public works improvements negotiated as part of the project were the upgrading of train crossing signals at Buena Vista Street and Vanowen Street. The project also will involve 10 feet of widening for public right-of-way along Buena Vista Street and Empire Boulevard to improve local traffic flow.The Buena Vista project's 276 residential units, 25 of which are designated as affordable housing, will include 43 townhomes in what has become a quickly growing urban area next to existing employment and retail centers. The development will feature approximately 1,000 sf of retail space at the ground level and will incorporate three live-work loft units, along with a four-story parking structure.Crown Realty has worked on projects in Burbank since 1997, including its current three-phase renovation of the 1.2-million-sf Burbank Town Center regional mall in the downtown district. The company is one of the largest property owners in the city with approximately 70 acres in and around Downtown.