Burbank Airport Board OKs Smaller Expansion Plan

Moving to break a 4-year-old stalemate, the Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport Authority agreed Monday to cut the size of the planned terminal from 19 gates to 16 gates, and reduce the size of the facility by more than 100,000 square feet.

Burbank city officials--who have sought a smaller terminal, as well as a mandatory overnight curfew and a limit on the number of flights--reacted cautiously to the proposal.

“The timing is interesting,” said Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom. “Is it a genuine olive branch? Or is it being done to placate the Glendale City Council, which is due to discuss the airport on Tuesday?”

Authority spokesman Victor Gill said the airport’s proposal is a genuine attempt to break a logjam that has stymied efforts to reach a compromise since 1995.

The airport had been pushing for a 465,000-square-foot terminal with 19 gates to be built on a 130-acre parcel owned by Lockheed. Original plans also called for the facility to ultimately expand to 27 gates.

The airport’s new proposal for 16 gates allows three more to be added on or after 2010. Any additional expansion would be subject to Burbank’s approval, airport officials said.

Burbank officials said the new proposal would be subject to public hearings. Many airport neighbors have vigorously fought plans for a new terminal, saying it would bring too much noise and traffic to the east San Fernando Valley.