WHOLE FOODS PROPOSAL IN LIMBO BURBANK COUNCIL UNDECIDED ON FATE OF PROPOSED STORE.

Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer

BURBANK -- Whatever decision the City Council makes in two weeks regarding a proposed Whole Foods Market in the Rancho equestrian district, it likely won't please everyone.

It's a choice between soothing the fears of residents whose homes come with backyard stables and who foresee a traffic nightmare, and reaping the potential economic benefits from a popular natural-foods grocer.

Both sides were firmly entrenched at a public hearing on the 59,500- square-foot store proposed for 901 W. Alameda Ave. that lasted nearly nine hours and stretched into early Wednesday.

More than 100 speakers took to the podium. Most opponents, while in favor of a Whole Foods Market in the city, say the size of the store is too big for the 76,000-square-foot site.

Also, they say the traffic projected -- 2,500 cars per day, according to city studies -- would be too disruptive and dangerous for the neighborhood's two- and four-legged residents. Others cite pedestrian safety, with an elementary school and a convalescent home on the same block.

``Please let these people go away,'' opponent Patrika Darbo said. ``We just want our neighborhood back. ... If Whole Foods wants to build a market here, let them build something on the property that we say they can build.''

Others praised Whole Foods for offering consumers healthier eating options.

``We can't be afraid of progress, good progress,'' supporter Linda Bass said. ``It will be a great asset for the community.''

Backers wore the familiar green Whole Foods Market logo, while opponents wore buttons with the number 4854 -- the number of car trips the store could add to the area -- and a red slash crossing it out.

At the end, Mayor Todd Campbell and Councilman Jef Vander Borght were leaning in support of the project with a few minor changes.

``I will preserve the Rancho at all cost,'' Campbell said. ``But I believe the cons can be overcome.''

Council members David Gordon and Marsha Ramos stood against it. Gordon said the project didn't meet the intent of Rancho area zoning codes.

``It's not just the physical size, it's the use,'' he said. ``That's why we're struggling with this.''

Meanwhile, Councilman David Golonski held out, suggesting he could support the store if it were slashed to 40,000 square feet. But both Whole Foods and the developer have said there is little room to renegotiate the size.

``We're willing to go back and rework the project,'' Michael Hastings, a consultant on the project and a former Burbank councilman, said Wednesday. ``We need some clarity. ... The bottom line is it's up to the City Council to understand what real compromise is and what fantasy compromise is.''

Based in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods is known for its progressive environmentalism and organic produce and is a much-sought-after business for cities. The nearest outlets are in Glendale and Sherman Oaks.

The market is proposed for Alameda Avenue -- a busy four-lane road -- and Main Street, a narrow two-lane road that empties into the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Burbank planners have proposed putting bicycle lanes on Main to accommodate equestrians and posting warning signs for motorists. Also, the developer has plans to widen Main's intersection at Alameda with right- and left-turn lanes to ease traffic.

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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