Burbank Says It Won’t Buy Terminal Site

City officials said Tuesday they would not buy 81 acres slated for a new Burbank Airport terminal, a decision that could force sale of the property for non-airport use.

The decision further clouds the future of the $300-million terminal proposed by airport officials to replace the existing facility that dates to 1930.

By buying the land, the city could help ensure it would be reserved for the terminal project. With the city deciding against the purchase, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority must put the parcel on the market and any buyer would be prohibited from using it for airport use.

Burbank officials have resisted the new terminal project on grounds it would create more noise and traffic for their community. They obtained an option to buy the site after negotiations for the new terminal were not concluded by a May 24 deadline.

Mayor Bill Wiggins said in a statement there is still time for the city and the airport to cut a deal before the land is sold.

“However, there is no guarantee that will happen,” he said.

At issue is a portion of the 130-acre Plant B-6 site that the airport purchased last summer from Lockheed Martin for $86 million.

As part of the agreement, the airport took title to 49 acres, and the rest of the site was held in a trust during negotiations over the terminal.

But the agreement also specified the land be put up for sale if Burbank declined to purchase it by Monday.

Airport spokesman Victor Gill said airport officials were still hoping to salvage a deal even as they were preparing to sell the land.

“The airport has already begun to solicit the services of financial and real estate marketing consultants that would be necessary to ultimately sell the property,” Gill said. “But there is always the possibility of further negotiations.”

Even with a possible sale on the horizon, the Airport Authority appears to be taking other steps to secure a terminal.

On Monday, the Airport Authority announced it was moving with a federal study of airport noise with the goal of winning a ban on nighttime flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The $4-million noise study is sought by Burbank residents and city officials who say they will not approve a new terminal without restricting the hours flights can operate at the facility.

Airport officials said the noise review will occur over the next 18 months. They said the focus will be on gathering public opinion and information on airport operations before undertaking an extensive cost-benefit analysis.

The airport has been trying to overhaul the 70-year-old terminal--situated too near the runway to meet modern safety standards--since 1980.

After a protracted battle, airport and city negotiators agreed last year on a tentative plan to build a new facility.

Airport and Burbank city officials were hoping to avoid a formal noise study when they agreed in August to build a 14-gate terminal in exchange for plans to shut the Burbank Airport terminal between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

But the deal--which faced opposition from the FAA, airlines and residents--soon crumbled.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey said in March the airport must conduct a noise study before trying to ban nighttime flights. The curfew was considered a key element of the deal.

Ironically, that same month a Southwest Airlines 737 skidded off a runway and onto a city street, injuring six people. The accident reignited debate over safety at the existing terminal.

Even with the latest development, some officials remained sanguine about prospects for a new terminal and insist the deal is not dead.

“This is still the right place for the terminal with the right terms,” said Charles Lombardo, one of three Burbank representatives to the Burbank--Glendale--Pasadena Airport Authority.