Housing and offices planned for former Fry's site in Burbank

Burbank's shuttered Fry's Electronics and its UFO are not long for this world, according to a newly published environmental study.

LaTerra Development, a Century City-based real estate development firm behind more than a half-dozen new apartment buildings in Los Angeles County, is seeking approvals to raze the former Fry's to make way for a mixed-use complex consisting of multifamily housing, office space, and retail.  The proposed project at 2311 N. Hollywood Way, dubbed Burbank Aero Crossings, calls for the construction of four buildings containing nearly 152,000 square feet of office space, 9,700 square feet of restaurant space, and 862 apartments, with parking for more than 1,600 vehicles.

The new housing would come in a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans, including ground-level townhomes and live/work units.  LaTerra would be required to set aside 80 of the apartments - or 13.2 percent of the total housing - for rent by very low-income households.

Urban Architecture Lab is designing Burbank Aero Crossings, which would include one single-story commercial structure and three mid-rise buildings ranging from five to seven stories in height.  Architectural plans depict a contemporary design for the project, with residential buildings facing Vanowen Street, Hollywood Way, and Valhalla Drive, and the proposed office building tucked away at the southwest corner of the site.  Plans call for more than 130,000 square feet of open space, including a north-south and east-west paseos, multiple landscaped courtyards, and two rooftop pool decks.

Pending approvals by the City of Burbank, including density bonus review and a conditional use permit to allow residential uses above ground-floor commercial space, construction of Burbank Aero Crossings could begin as early as July 2022 and conclude by December 2025.

LaTerra Development, the company behind the project, is not a stranger to Burbank.  The firm has already secured approvals for a $375-million mixed-use project which would bring a hotel and multifamily housing to an eight-acre site just northeast of the city's downtown neighborhood.

LaTerra's plans for the former Fry's property would be congruent with a new effort by the City of Burbank to rezone areas surrounding Hollywood Burbank Airport, which is served by two Metrolink Stations, in a bid to develop at least 12,000 residential units citywide over the coming 12 years.  Burbank Aero Crossings would rise directly across Vanowen Street from one of the Burbank Airport - South commuter rail stop.

Fry's, a Sunnyvale-based chain which abruptly went out of business in February 2021, has left behind big box stores in many Los Angeles County communities besides Burbank.  In Woodland Hills, a Texas-based developer has already pounced on the former Warner Center store with plans for a housing and hotel complex.

• Burbank (Urbanize LA)