Where the Rancho is
- The City describes the Burbank Rancho as about 315 acres in southern Burbank, in two separate sections (East and West).
- Its general boundaries are Alameda Avenue and Oak Street to the north, Victory Boulevard to the east, the Los Angeles River to the south, and Keystone and California Streets to the west.
- The name comes from two Spanish and Mexican-era land grants, Rancho San Rafael and Rancho Providencia.
- The neighborhood sits next to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (owned and run by the City of Los Angeles, not Burbank) and Griffith Park.
- The equestrian neighborhood continues across the city line into Glendale's Riverside Rancho; Glendale's rules apply there.
What the Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan is
- A Specific Plan is a regulatory document that sets a long-term vision and development rules for one area, consistent with the city's General Plan.
- The City Council directed staff to prepare the Rancho plan on March 28, 2023.
- It is studying: objective development standards, equestrian-friendly street design guidelines, possible rezoning of industrial-zoned property, whether a historic district is warranted, and infrastructure impacts.
- The City says the plan will apply to future development only, not retroactively to projects already approved.
- Earlier history: a 1992 Rancho Commercial Recreation Master Plan was never formally adopted, but many of its recommendations became Article 24 (Rancho Master Plan Zones) of the Burbank Municipal Code.
- Status: the City's original schedule targeted adoption in winter 2026. Its most recent update (July 2026) followed the second round of community engagement; a draft plan and environmental (CEQA) review are still ahead. Check the City's project site for the current schedule.
Rules that apply today
- Burbank 2035 General Plan (adopted February 2013).
- Title 10 zoning, including R-1-H (single-family residential with horsekeeping), R-3, R-4, M-1 (limited industrial) and the Rancho Master Plan commercial zones.
- Complete Our Streets Plan (2020) and the Complete Streets Objective Development Standards (2023), which include equestrian facility dimensions.
- Burbank Bicycle Master Plan (2009) and City Parks Master Plan (2024).
State housing laws and the Rancho
- SB 9 (lot splits and up to two homes per single-family lot): a 2024 amendment (SB 477) exempts single-family horsekeeping zones with a master plan adopted before January 1, 1994. The City says this exemption covers the Burbank Rancho.
- SB 35 streamlining: SB 423 (2023) exempted projects in designated equestrian districts, including the Rancho, if submitted between January 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
- SB 330 limits downzoning and demolition of housing and shortens review timelines; it can apply to qualifying Rancho projects.
- AB 2011 may allow housing on some commercially zoned Rancho parcels (for example the Market Place area and commercial uses near Main and Alameda).
- AB 2097 removes minimum parking requirements within a half mile of major transit stops; the City notes bus lines on Alameda, Olive and Buena Vista put some Rancho properties inside that radius.
- Plain-English takeaway: R-1-H lots have more protection from lot-split rules than ordinary single-family lots, but commercial and multifamily parcels nearby can still change. Ask for the zoning of the parcel and its neighbors before you buy.
Horse rules
- Burbank's horsekeeping rules sit in three places in the Municipal Code: Title 5, Article 13 (corrals and stables citywide); Section 10-1-605 (extra standards for R-1-H lots); and Title 10, Division 9, Article 24 (commercial stables in the Rancho).
- Horses kept in Burbank must be registered with the Burbank Animal Shelter, with fees. The City reported 30 active horse registrations as of December 2024, all in the Rancho, and about 90 horses belonging to about 50 Burbank residents stabled at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center as of July 2025.
- On public streets: reflectors when riding at night, no hitching to trees or shrubs, and no riding on sidewalks except by the shortest route to the street. Under the California Vehicle Code, riders have the same rights and duties as drivers, and riders under 18 must wear helmets.
- Designated dirt trails (horses and pedestrians; no bicycles) run through Griffith Park, along the Equestrian Center and the Los Angeles River, across the Mariposa Street Bridge and through the 134 Freeway tunnels.
The Mariposa Street Bridge
- Built in 1939, the nearly 170-foot steel suspension bridge carries only riders and pedestrians across the Los Angeles River, linking the Burbank and Glendale Ranchos to Griffith Park's trails. Bicycles are prohibited.
- It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 2024.
Older barns and nonconforming structures
- Some Rancho horse facilities were built legally under older rules but no longer meet current zoning. These are "nonconforming" structures, governed by Title 10, Article 18, which limits enlarging, altering, replacing or rebuilding them.
- If a barn, stable or corral matters to you, confirm its status before you buy or remodel: Burbank Community Development, (818) 238-5280, planning@burbankca.gov, 150 N. Third Street.
What this means if you're buying or selling
Buyers: ask for the parcel's zoning, the permit history of every stable and corral, and whether any structure is nonconforming, and keep an eye on the Specific Plan as it moves to a draft. Sellers: gather permits and horse registration records before listing; documented, legal horse facilities are what equestrian buyers pay for. I follow the plan closely as a Rancho resident and can walk you through how it affects a specific property.
How to follow or weigh in on the plan
- Project website: https://www.burbankrnsp.com (sign up for email updates).
- City Project Manager: Greg Mirza-Avakyan, gmirzaavakyan@burbankca.gov, (818) 238-5250.