Burbank Funds Appraisal of Site It May Buy

The Burbank City Council has approved a plan to spend up to $30,000 for an appraisal of 235 acres of undeveloped hillside land in the Verdugo Mountains that Burbank residents want to preserve as a greenbelt for public recreation.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to hire Donahue and Co. Inc. of Santa Ana to determine the value of the land, which consists of seven privately owned parcels. Assistant City Atty. Douglas C. Holland said the appraisal should be completed by May.

Last fall the City Council considered several proposals to purchase the land but delayed final action until the exact value could be determined. Mayor E. Daniel Remy said the council hopes to call a special election in June to ask the voters if they would support a citywide fee or tax to purchase the property.

City officials, who originally proposed a ballot proposition for the February municipal election, decided that it would be premature to call an election before the price of the land is known.

The move to acquire the hillside land began last fall after a lengthy struggle by homeowners blocked two proposed residential developments that would have encroached on the undeveloped land.