Developers have big plans for the sites of a former Fry’s Electronics store in Burbank, with groundbreaking scheduled for later this year. The themed store which shuttered in February last year, once a landmark for Valley shoppers, will be razed to make way for a mixed-use project.
For the location at 2311 N. Hollywood Way, L.A.-based LaTerra Development plans to create three mid-rise apartment buildings as well as a single-story combination office and retail space on the 10.4-acre lot.
“Over a month ago, LaTerra obtained unanimous Planning Commission approval and then subsequently unanimous City Council approval for what we call Burbank Aero Crossings, which is a big mixed-use development at the former Fry’s Electronics site,” Chris Tourtellotte, managing director of LaTerra Development, said. “The Burbank Aero Crossings project is approved for 862 apartments, 151,000 square feet of office and 9,000 square feet of retail.”
Construction for Burbank Aero Crossings should begin at the end of this year and will take two to three years to build. The name comes from its strategic location across the street from a Metrolink commuter train station and the Hollywood Burbank Airport.
The new development will be LEED Certified Gold, making it among the most sustainable new builds, with construction materials and designs intended to lower energy use and be resilient in adverse conditions. Of the 862 apartments, 80 units will be designated for very low-income tenants and 12 will be life-work units with a retail storefront and combined living quarters.
The anticipated total cost of the Burbank project, designed by Urban Architecture Lab, will be around $500 million, Tourtellotte said. LaTerra has also acquired two additional Fry’s properties since the franchise shuttered last year, one in Sacramento and the other in Irving, Texas.
In Burbank, a job-rich but housing-poor market, this development comes as part of a new effort by the city to rezone areas surrounding Hollywood Burbank Airport and develop at least 12,000 residential units over 12 years.
The Fry’s store in Burbank featured themed décor around 1950s science fiction movies with a flying saucer apparently crashed into the building’s façade.