VILLAGE MAY GET UPGRADE BURBANK CONSIDERS SPENDING $1.6 MILLION ON DOWNTOWN.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

BURBANK - Hoping to put the downtown area on par with shopping and entertainment meccas in other cities, Burbank next week will consider spending nearly $1.6 million on improvements in Burbank Village.

City officials want to give the area new signs, lights and a marketing strategy to create a regional destination, lure tenants to long-vacant sites and provide incentives to get retailers to improve their property. The city Redevelopment Agency Board will consider the package Tuesday.

``The last time we did any new banners or spent money on sidewalks was about three or four years ago,'' said Robert Tague, director of community development. ``If you don't keep up with it, the edges can get frayed and we don't want the downtown edges to get frayed.''

The Burbank Redevelopment Agency has budgeted the funds to cover the improvements this year. The package totals $949,000 in this fiscal year, with an additional $250,000 in 2001-02 and $400,000 in 2002-03.

It includes sidewalk upgrades, lights that illuminate trees from below, street banners, directories to stores and signs that point patrons to the area from the freeway.

The city spent millions over the years to spruce up the area, which is bounded by Glenoaks and Burbank boulevards, Verdugo Avenue and the Golden State Freeway. And several restaurants have opened in recent months, giving it a boost.

But the Village lacks a unifying trait that pulls it all together, officials said. It also suffers from years-long vacancies in key places, large storefronts that once held J.J. Newberry's, Inca Computers and Crown Books.

Chris Crocker, vice president of NAI Capital Commercial, is trying to find a suitable tenant to replace Inca in an 11,000-square-foot building.

Part of the problem, he said, is the company is being very picky with whom it signs because Inca went out of business in less than three months.

``There was a lot of initial interest but it's been hard to have anyone actually cross the goal line, if you will,'' Crocker said. ``The area is very viable and a strong retail draw, but we haven't been able to draw the right tenant there.''

Commercial Realtors said they also found retailers taking a wait-and-see approach because there are several commercial projects in the pipeline for downtown.

For example, AMC Burbank 14 plans to build a new 16-screen multiplex, more parking and new retail space in the next two years. So retailers don't want to commit to a particular space yet.

``All in all, it's a timing issue,'' said Greg Whitney, senior associate with CB Richard Ellis, which markets the Newberry site. ``The time you'll see those vacancies filled is not far in the future.''

Tague offers another reason for the vacancies. He said retailers aren't getting promises of improvements from property owners. Therefore, to help spur interest, the proposal going before the panel also includes a business incentive program.

It earmarks $700,000 for brochures touting the Village's daytime demographics, as well as funds to assist potential tenants with improvements or property acquisition.