New NBC Universal Facility Goes Green

NBC Universal plans to develop a news center and TV studio in Universal City that will aim for a LEED silver certification for its design, construction and ongoing operations. The new facility will be modeled after the new NBC News World Headquarters that opened last month at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and will be part of a larger development at NBC Universal's 391-acre holdings here.

The news center is part of a larger overall West Coast strategic plan that would add hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space, 2,900 housing units, 100,000 sf or more of new retail space, new production facilities and substantial other new development at the Universal City site. Besides Universal Studios, the 391 acres are already home to the studio's Universal Studios theme park and Universal CityWalk.

As part of the overall long-range plan to centralize its operations in Universal City, NBC Universal says it expects to sell a major portion of its 34-acre studio lot in the Burbank Media District. A portion of the Burbank studio lot sale "will likely involve the retention of portions of the Burbank property, and the leaseback of certain facilities, providing NBC Universal with the option to keep some productions on the Burbank lot for several years," the company says.

Tom Smith, SVP of West Coast real estate for NBC Universal, notes that the new facility that will house the NBC news operations is being designed as the anchor tenant of the proposed Thomas Properties Group development at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Red Line Subway Station in Universal City.

The proposed development is located directly across from Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and the CityWalk retail development.

Among the reasons behind the move is the Universal City MTA Red Line Subway Station's location, which was a key factor in the decision to move the NBC Universal facility to Los Angeles. Locating the new facility to a site near an existing subway and bus station will allow visitors, guests and employees to take public transit and "significantly reduce their car-related commuting emissions and stress," NBC Universal says.