Assurances Given on Burbank Airport Plan

Bringing a long-running feud closer to resolution, Burbank city officials said Wednesday that a compromise plan for a new Burbank Airport terminal “is basically consistent with long-standing city policy.”

Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority officials have been seeking assurances from the city before embarking on a $30-million purchase of land from Lockheed Martin for the long-debated terminal construction. The airport authority has a Monday deadline on the purchase.

In a letter Wednesday to Airport Authority acting Director Dios Marrero, Burbank City Manager Robert R. “Bud” Ovrom cautioned that city officials cannot give formal approval to the new terminal until public hearings are completed and the project is approved by the City Council.

But Ovrom went on to say that the scaled-down, 14-gate terminal proposal addresses key concerns. “That knowledge should give the authority the assurances it needs to make payments to Lockheed next Monday,” Ovrom wrote.

Airport authority spokesman Victor Gill said Ovrom’s letter “will get immediate consideration.”

The authority has already spent $37 million toward the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s 130-acre site, located east of the main runway. It must pay an additional $30 million by Monday or risk losing the deposit. The total price is $86 million.

In an interview, Ovrom said the letter is designed to reassure airport officials that the revised terminal plans are likely to win approval.

“They’ve said we need assurances we can buy the land and build a replacement terminal,” Ovrom said. “That’s what we’re doing here.”

But Ovrom also noted that final approval of the terminal will probably be contingent upon the authority imposing additional restrictions designed to limit noise.