Panel Tells Studio, ‘Quiet on the Set’ at Night

In an apparent first for Hollywood, a studio would be barred from some loud nighttime filming under a recommendation approved Wednesday by a divided Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission.

Over the strong objections of Universal Studios executives, and amid joking comments about how much sleep people really need, the commission voted 3 to 2 to restrict helicopter noise, explosions and other loud sounds at the Universal City lot between midnight and 5 a.m. during standard time, and between 1 and 5 a.m. during daylight saving time.

Both city Planning Department staffers and members of the county Planning Commission said they knew of no other similar limitations imposed on a Southern California movie studio.

But commissioners, who imposed the noise restrictions as part of a package of improvements Universal must make during a proposed expansion, said the move was necessary to safeguard the quality of life for the area’s residents.

Universal representatives continued to voice their opposition to the restrictions, saying that the move was a blow to the entire entertainment industry.

“We think the limitations are just inappropriate for this industry,” said Universal attorney George J. Mihlsten. “This is a key industry that needs to be supported by the county.”

The restrictions, which must be approved by at least three other governmental bodies before taking effect, prohibit “impulsive sounds,” including pyrotechnics, gunfire, simulated explosions and the like, in three specific areas on the Universal lot, mostly on land near neighborhoods or the Los Angeles River.

In addition, the nighttime use of helicopters in production would be prohibited throughout Universal’s property.

Though Mihlsten said the restrictions would put Universal at an “immense competitive disadvantage,” one commissioner urged his colleagues to go beyond the staff recommendation and extend the restriction until 6 or 7 a.m.

Eliciting chuckles from the crowd, Commissioner Don Toy wondered, “Who can sleep for just four hours?”

Given the precedent-setting nature of the vote, Commissioner Esther Feldman urged her colleagues to stick with the staff recommendations. Commissioner Renee Campbell joined Toy in voting against the measure.

The commission did not address a request from a coalition of homeowner and labor groups pushing for the establishment of a citizens oversight committee to help govern the studio’s mammoth expansion, which would add 3.2 million square feet of development to the hilltop property over 15 years.

Judith Fries, a lawyer for the county, said she did not view the request from the labor component of the group as a land-use issue, the only area over which the commission has jurisdiction.

Jason Elias, a spokesman for CAUSE, a group that is pushing for higher wages for Universal employees, vowed to keep making the request as the project continues through the governmental approval process--a trek that could take another six months.

Because some of Universal’s property falls within city boundaries and some only in Los Angeles County, the proposed expansion plan must be approved by the city and regional planning commissions, then the City Council and the county Board of Supervisors.

Early in the meeting, Universal was instructed to work with Caltrans to study the feasibility of building an onramp from Universal Center Drive to the southbound Hollywood Freeway.

If the onramp is found to be feasible, Universal would be responsible for getting it built, and that requirement would become part of Universal’s contract with the city and county. Caltrans has agreed to participate in the study and said that, at least in concept, the ramp seems feasible.

Universal sees the ramp as a “regional issue,” according to Helen McCann, vice president for Universal’s master plan, and one that goes beyond the traffic improvements now called for as part of the expansion project.

As for Universal’s position on funding construction of the ramp if it is deemed feasible, McCann said: “We’ve agreed to do the feasibility study. If it is feasible, we’ll take a look at it then.”

The commission also recommended that studying the feasibility of building an exit ramp from the southbound Hollywood Freeway to Universal Center Drive be incorporated into the ongoing Barham-Cahuenga traffic study.

Universal would have to pay a “fair share” portion of those construction costs if the ramp is found to be feasible.

The commission will meet again next Wednesday to continue discussing the project.