BOARD TO FOCUS ON I-5 CORRIDOR.

Byline: Sue Doyle

Staff Writer

BURBANK -- A new joint-powers agency with leaders from Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando will play a key role in efforts to revitalize a 30-mile stretch along the Golden State Freeway, officials said Thursday.

The effort to energize the region into a vibrant corridor of thriving businesses and communities drew hundreds of community and government leaders to an I-5 corridor summit where everything from inland ports to additional busways and highway expansion was discussed.

And untangling the precious freeway space from Glendale to Santa Clarita was touted as a key to making the region more livable for everyone.

"In this region, in order to make the system work, you've got to have a system," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

And the next steps in developing the corridor will largely come through a new council of governments unanimously approved Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council. Working as a region, the board members can band together to fight for money for projects and work on problems the area faces, including transportation, housing and employment, said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel.

"Working together is how you can solve some of those problems," Greuel said. "We, as business leaders, have to look to the future and how we'll approach it. We need to have a regional reach."

Thursday's meeting stemmed from a report by the Mulholland Institute that examined the freeway corridor and its economic potential. The study says the area has underdeveloped land that could be turned into hubs for biomedical, entertainment, technology and business sectors.

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

818-713-3746