$1.7 Million Earmarked for Block in Burbank : Neighborhood: Council decides to proceed with several projects meant to improve quality of life.

BURBANK — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to spend up to $1.7 million on improvements in the Elmwood Avenue neighborhood, which has one of the city’s highest crime rates.

The council, meeting in its other role as the city Redevelopment Agency, agreed to move forward with a number of projects intended to improve the quality of life in the 100 block of West Elmwood Avenue in southeast Burbank, including:

* Installing a new playground for children and landscaping the front and sides of apartment buildings.

* Doing $700,000 in repair and maintenance work such as painting, carpeting and replacing fixtures inside nine apartment buildings owned by the redevelopment agency.

* Hiring a property management firm to oversee the apartments and an education director to work on an after-school program for children in the area.

The money will come from both city funds and federal grants.

“The main objective is to create an affordable housing supply. The second objective is to upgrade the Elmwood neighborhood,” said Bob Tague, the city’s community development director. “There is not enough affordable housing in Burbank.”

Improving West Elmwood Avenue, he added, is part of a five-year plan by city officials to provide more affordable housing projects for families throughout Burbank.

City officials consider the 100 block of West Elmwood Avenue a center of gang and criminal activity in Burbank. In 1992, for example, 58% of all police reports of shots fired came from that block. And the Police Department continues to focus much of its patrol work there.

The redevelopment agency has already acquired 61 housing units on the block using its own money and federal funds that total $3.5 million.

With the additional improvements, city officials say they hope not only to reverse the deteriorating condition of the block, but also to prevent blight from spilling into adjacent neighborhoods and free more police officers to patrol other parts of Burbank.

“I think this particular proposal has a lot of positive aspects to it,” said Mayor Dave Golonski. “We think this block is one of those areas that needs the improvement the most.”