Community still has time to weigh in on Hollywood Burbank Airport’s proposed terminal project

A few more Burbank residents and community members weighed in on Hollywood Burbank Airport’s proposed 14-gate replacement terminal as the public comment period for an environmental impact report winds down.

The deadline to submit concerns and questions is June 13 — via mail, email or through oral communication — on a 3,700-page draft of the environmental impact report that goes over the possible impacts of building a new 355,000-square-foot terminal in the northeast quadrant of the airfield, typically referred to as the B-6 parcel.

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The report also looked at the effects of three other options — building a 355,000-square-foot terminal in the southwest area of the property, constructing a 232,000-square-foot terminal at that same location or keeping the existing terminal as is.

For years, the airport has been looking to replace the current 232,000-square-foot terminal because it does not meet current Federal Aviation Administration standards or meet seismic-safety regulations.

Six people provided feedback about the document during the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority meeting Monday, telling commissioners what they liked or had concerns about with the project.

Resident James Berner, who is a member of the Burbank Transportation Commission, said he supports the proposed terminal in the northeast quadrant of the airfield, claiming that the new facility will attract businesses to the city.

“To have an airport in our city with very easy access to different locations across the West and across the country is a big win for our city,” he said.

As a frequent user of Hollywood Burbank Airport, Berner said that he has had to sit on the ground as he waited for his flight and is in full support for a new terminal that can accommodate waiting passengers more comfortably.

Authority President Frank Quintero concurred with Berner, because he said he too had sit on the floor of the airport’s terminal as he waited for his flight.

During a recent trip to Colombia, Quintero said that every airport he traveled through in the South American country was “much better” than Hollywood Burbank Airport.

“It’s a physical fact,” he said. “The access, the comfort level, the modern amenities … I think [building a new terminal] is the right thing.”

Residents Frank Macchia and David Spell both had concerns about possible toxic material becoming airborne should the airport decide to build the replacement terminal in the southwest quadrant of the airfield.

“I have a 14-year-old son, and I’m concerned about his health and safety,” Macchia said. “Since Lockheed was here many years ago, there’s a lot of questions about what happened over the years at Lockheed and in the area.”

Though airport officials are proposing to build a larger facility at the B-6 parcel, they have continued to tell the public that the proposed replacement terminal will only have 14 gates, which is the same number of gates at the existing terminal.

“We’re certainly going to have a more safer and more efficient airport,” Quintero said. “That’s all we’re looking for. We’re not looking for a Taj Mahal.”

Airport officials may be pushing to build the proposed replacement terminal on the B-6 lot, but opting to do so would trigger a ballot measure called Measure B, in which Burbank residents would need to approve the proposal to build on that part of the northeast quadrant.

Airport officials have been pushing to approve the draft impact report so they can submit their plans to the city and get the ballot measure on the Nov. 8 ballot this year.

A passing ballot measure would not only allow the airport to build on that land. Airport officials have said that the authority would adopt super-majority voting, two out of three from each set of commissioners — who represent Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena — on major decisions, such as increasing the number of terminal gates, acquiring land, expanding the terminal or approving contracts or leases over 35 years.

Should the measure fail, airport officials said they are ready to move forward with building a new terminal on the southwest quadrant, which they say does not need voter approval because the property belongs to the airport.

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio