Draft EIR for new airport terminal released
The public has until mid-June to put in their two cents about a long-awaited report regarding a proposed 14-gate replacement terminal at Bob Hope Airport.
On Friday, airport officials released a 3,700-page draft environmental impact report for the proposed project, which looked into the possible impacts of building a new 355,000-square-foot terminal. It also analyzed the effects of two other options — building a new 232,000-square-foot terminal or keeping the existing terminal as is.
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Airport officials have been looking to replace the current 232,000-square-foot, 14-gate terminal to put the airfield in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards, meet seismic-safety regulations and to have an updated facility.
The public will have until June 13 to make comments regarding the report’s findings. Airport officials will also host three community meetings to allow people to make comments in person.
David Full, vice president of aviation for consultant RS&H, which prepared the draft report, told the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday that there will be some kind of environmental impact to the surrounding area regardless of which option they chose, including not building a new terminal.
The main goal for airport officials is to build a larger 14-gate terminal in the northeast section of the airfield. Full said that option could potentially have impacts on air-quality standards and that it could have hazardous-material impacts.
Some portions of the current terminal, which was built in 1930, have asbestos and other hazardous materials in them and could spread into the air during demolition, Full said.
Additionally, the proposed option could increase traffic at various intersections, including Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue as well as San Fernando Boulevard and Cohasset Street.
To mitigate the impacts, Full suggested that improvements be made to the affected streets to alleviate traffic congestion and to implement a construction plan to minimize the spread of hazardous materials, Full said.
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If the northeast quadrant does not pan out to be the best option, airport officials have also proposed to build either a 355,000-square-foot or a 232,000-square-foot, 14-gate terminal in the southwest corner of the airfield.
Full warned commissioners that the two options could have considerably more impacts on the environment, including the possibility of additional air-quality impacts.
Hangar 2, which holds historical significance at the airfield and is eligible for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, would need to be relocated for this option. There is also risk of losing trees along Empire Avenue, which would need to be removed during construction and replaced afterward.
Full said that if airport officials chose to keep the existing terminal, the airfield would exceed air-quality standards, assuming an increase in flights. The projected growth would also increase traffic around the area.
The first community meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 19 in room 104 of the Burbank Community Services Building, 150 N. Third St.
Another meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 1 at the Buena Vista Library, 300 N. Buena Vista St.
The final community meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on June 6 at during a meeting of the airport authority at Bob Hope Airport, 2627 Hollywood Way.
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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
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