Universal Studios Hollywood scraps homes plan

In a very positive move, NBC Universal has announced that it is scrapping plans to build 3000 homes on its back lot at Universal Studios Hollywood.  The revised plans, have no residential area, but they do include plans two 500 room hotels (instead of one), and an expansion of 327,000 square-foot for theme park attractions, shops and restaurants - three times more extra space than originally planned.  

Looking at the top map, the two things that really stand out are the "expanded tram attraction"(it looks at least twice the size of King Kong), and the "entertainment attraction" that is is near the tram tour.   Could this be a replacement for the Gibson or perhaps a ride - let it be the Gringots coaster!


Jaws seems to have been saved, but Waterworld, T2, The special effects stage and the Gibson have all been replaced with new attractions - and the old Wild West Arena seems to have been grassed over.  This is a twenty year plan, so some attractions may be safe for a while yet, though Harry Potter and Despicable Me are just around the corner. 

The full press release is below.

A Message from NBCUniversal

Today this company reached a major milestone in our proposed 20-year plan for our property with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by the City of Los Angeles.

From day one, it has been incredibly important for us to listen to our neighbors and stakeholders as well as the broader Los Angeles community about our plans. Over the last several years, NBCUniversal has reached out and talked with thousands of residents and business leaders to understand their priorities and concerns.

In the last year, we have heard from Supervisor Yaroslavsky and Councilman LaBonge and several community members about their concerns regarding adding residential to our property in the future.

After taking a hard look at the project, the current real estate market, our business needs as well as the new owner's priorities, we believe it's best to ask the City and County to focus on the Evolution Plan No Residential Alternative in the Final EIR for the upcoming hearing process and for our 20-year plan to eliminate the residential and retain our backlot for production.

This is the right time in the process to make this decision and it will enable us to concentrate and invest in our core businesses, television and film production, Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park and CityWalk. Planning for our future in a way that is responsive to the community has always been a priority of the Evolution Plan and today marks the next step in making this important project a reality.