Entertainment firms bring new feel to Sun Valley corridor.

Sun Valley, long an industrial corridor which has been home to manufacturing firms and used-auto dealers, has been getting some glitz courtesy of the entertainment industry.

Competitive real estate prices and plenty of available space are luring film and TV prop houses as well as other

businesses that service studios to the area, creating a Hollywood cluster of sorts in the Northeast Valley. Some of these companies are moving from North Hollywood and Burbank which have traditionally housed these businesses.

While a handful of prop companies have been in Sun Valley for several years, many have been moving in over the last three or four. And they are snatching up industrial property as fast as they can get it in areas west of Burbank Airport along San Fernando Road, on Clybourn Avenue and other nearby streets - all within about a square-mile radius.

"The one really attractive thing about Sun Valley is, in addition to finding larger space and better prices for it, there's the ease of access to the major freeways," said Richard Broussard, general manager of Premier Props, which moved to the area from North Hollywood in the spring of 2002.

There's less commuter traffic in Sun Valley, so trucks are able to move inventory in and out more freely. With the 210 Freeway just blocks away from Sun Valley's industrial core, the area also offers quick and easy access to Premier's customers working out of Santa Clarita Studios in Valencia, and yet it's still within 10 miles of the major studios in Burbank.

"This is a great location for us and our clients at the big studios in Burbank because we can hop on and off the 170 (Hollywood Freeway), but for those coming in from Santa Clarita, this is a straight shot. It saves them a trip from having to go over the hill into Hollywood or other places," Broussard said.

Premier began operations inside a 2,400-square foot storage unit in North Hollywood in 1997. After quickly running out of space the company moved to a nearby 30,000-square foot facility, which it attempted to purchase.

Price differences

But asking prices for industrial property in North Hollywood and Burbank forced the company to look elsewhere.

Industrial property is currently running between $120 and $125 per square foot in Burbank and North Hollywood, compared to around $80 to $130 per square foot in Sun Valley, said Chad Gahr, vice president with NAT Capital Commercial.