BURBANK TO PICK NEW TENANT FOR MEDIA CENTER\Community performance center proposed.

Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer

Burbank's Natural History Museum closed its doors Jan. 1, but several groups are in the running to take over the museum's Media City Center home, including the city's Parks and Recreation Department and a Los Angeles theater company.

The museum, an annex of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, lasted less than three years. It had been funded by a foundation that supports the Natural History Museum. But in July the foundation announced it would no longer subsidize the facility, citing low attendance.

The 11,700-square-foot museum was located at 555 N. Third St. and was part of the Media City Center. The site actually was built as part of a deal cut between mall developer Alexander Haagen and the city of Burbank and was originally intended to be used as a community center.

Just who will be the new tenant is up to the Burbank City Council, which under the deal with mall developers, has control over the use of the site. The council is expected to make a decision Jan. 30.

Councilman Bob Kramer said he favors a proposal drafted by the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Under that plan, the department would create a community-performing arts center, which would include a small theater and a lecture hall.

"Burbank has needed a performing arts center for many years," Kramer said. "It was built as a community meeting room."

Although the Natural History Museum withdrew funding, the foundation did submit a proposal to continue its local branch, but with the city of Burbank picking up the tab this time.

"They are clearly the sentimental favorite," said Councilman Ted McConkey. "But there is no way we could come up with $300,000 to subsidize the thing."

The Parks and Recreation Department proposal and one from the Silver Lake-based Colony Theatre were the favorites of council members at a late December meeting, said Assistant City Manager Steve Helvey. Two other proposals from companies that wanted to install for-profit businesses revolving around computer products also were presented to the council.

McConkey said that he, too, was leaning in favor of the Parks and Recreation Department proposal, but that he liked the Colony Theatre idea, too.

"It was one of the ones I liked best," McConkey said. "I wish we had the space to accommodate them."

The drawback to the Colony Theatre idea is the group would need the lion's share of the space to do their work, leaving little space for a community room, McConkey said.

But Barbara Beckley, the producing director for the Colony Theatre, said the company has a strong chance to become the new tenant.

The plan is to open later this year as a 99-seat theater, but eventually expand to a 299-seat theater. The company would make a 10-year commitment to the city, she said.

The Colony Theatre is currently located on Riverside Drive in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles. For the past two and a half years, the group has been trying to cut a deal with the Glendale Redevelopment Agency to move into an old city fire station. But that arrangement has been delayed because Glendale is in the process of approving its Downtown Strategic Plan, and is hesitant to finalize a deal until the overall plan is approved.

"It just kept not happening," Beckley said of the Glendale site. "The Burbank opportunity came up, it has wonderful parking and restaurants nearby."