The Interpreter Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 Published Wednesday, December 6, 2006 NBC Universal unveils ambitious building plan for Universal City By GARY GENTILE AP Business Writer UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. NBC Universal on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious plan to revamp the unique 390-acre complex that includes movie sets, office space and a theme park. The 25-year master plan envisions an 80,000-square-foot expansion of the theme park, new high-tech soundstages and a residential development called "Universal Village." The studio has been hampered in recent years by complex zoning and environmental regulations from building new rides at the park or developing its vast back lot. A succession of corporate owners with conflicting business plans also stunted the studio's growth. Universal City, in the Hollywood Hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, was founded in 1915 by Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Studios. The then 250-acre ranch was used to make silent movies. Laemmle created the first studio tour, which consisted in its earliest days of people standing on a platform or on bleachers while filming took place below. A poster made to commemorate the opening of Universal City proclaims it, "The strangest place on earth - an entire city built and used exclusively for the making of moving pictures." The plot expanded over the decades to include the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and a shopping and retail area called CityWalk. Universal was purchased in 2004 by NBC, a unit General Electric. The company soon began developing a master plan for the entire parcel, consulting nearby homeowners as well as Los Angeles and county officials. The new plan calls for selling off 124 acres of mostly undeveloped land to a builder for a new residential community. Some movie sets and soundstages would be moved while new state-of-the art facilities would be built. The theme park particularly has suffered from being unable to add rides and attractions to compete with nearby Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Under current regulations, old rides have to be scrapped to make way for new ones. The new plan would allow for expansion, including a revamp of its venerable tram studio tour. Any construction is at least two to three years away as the company secures the permits and approvals needed for the entire project. http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...6/APF/612062364 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.