Local News in Brief : Airport Noise Proposal

Burbank Airport should resolve aircraft noise problems by buying 54 homes outright and obtaining noise rights from thousands of other homeowners by paying either cash or soundproofing expenses for their houses, according to a consulting firm’s report.

The recommendations were submitted as part of a federally funded study of aircraft noise and will be the subject of meetings this week.

Leaders of homeowner groups immediately condemned the proposals as inadequate and unfair, with one foe saying he would “fight tooth and nail” against provisions requiring some owners to pay half the cost of soundproofing their homes. Soundproofing costs from $10,000 to $20,000 per home.

The recommendations are contained in a report by Peat Marwick, the consulting firm, after a three-year study sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration under its Part 150 noise program. The study was conducted by committees made up of representatives of the public, government bodies and officeholders.

The report and public comment on it will be submitted to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. The authority’s decisions will be passed on to the FAA, which provides most of the money to carry out recommendations and has final authority over them.