Engineering Inc. - March/April 2008 - 26

MULTI-PROJECT FEATURE the Vision plan includes a 124-acre, 2,900-unit residential neighborhood with hiking trails, parks and a town center. A hollywood Vision PROJECT: NBC Universal Vision Plan, Los Angeles FIRM: N 26 Psomas, Los Angeles BC Universal in Los Angeles is the largest working movie studio in the world. Formed in 1909, its Universal Studios in Hollywood also is one of the oldest. To help the company make the transition into the 21st century, NBC Universal in 2006 unveiled a long-term Vision Plan for renovating its 391-acre Universal City property, including the studio, its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and Universal CityWalk, a popular tourist attraction featuring a variety of Hollywood-themed shops and restaurants. The goal is to create a blueENGINEERING INC. print that will carry the company and its facilities through the next quarter-century. “The Vision Plan seeks to accommodate future uses of the property, address economic and employment vitality concerns, integrate new housing and transportation for employees and visitors, and environmental stewardship that will benefit both the company and the region,” explains Tom Smith, senior vice president of West Coast real estate for NBC Universal. The Vision Plan calls for a multiyear commitment that aims to upgrade NBC Universal’s existing studio, generate new office space and refresh the theme park’s operations. NBC Universal tapped Psomas, a California-based design and engineering firm, to assist in the development of a new 124-acre, 2,900-unit residential neighborhood complete with hiking trails, parks and a town center. “Overall, Psomas will be responsible for conducting topographical surveys to locate existing improvements, boundary surveys to define NBC’s ownership of the land and the boundary between the city and county of Los Angeles, conducting the planning and entitlements process and avoiding or mitigating environmental impacts of the project during and post-construction through sustainable engineering solutions,” explains Sean Vargas, Psomas’ vice president and principal. “The project is in a highly developed area where a great number of people already live and work,” says Vargas. In an effort to ease mounting concerns about the project’s impact on traffic patterns and the environment, NBC Universal says it will hold a series of meetings demonstrat- Sean Vargas ing how the project can be conducted responsibly and with regard for the community and its citizens. The property straddles Los Angeles City and County lines, which requires Psomas and other project participants to plan in advance for two distinct sets of local permit and zoning requirements. “The team that NBC put together, including engineers, architects, planners, public relations specialists and landuse attorneys, developed a blueprint that enables us to demonstrate to both jurisdictions how the development balances the needs and priorities of each,” says Vargas. n MARCh / APRIL 2008
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2008

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