Letter: Larger IKEA presence raises concerns

Burbank has been my home since 1959, when I was a sophomore at John Burroughs High School. During the intervening years I have watched Burbank grow and prosper, while continuing to retain its safe, comfortable ambience. Now with the building of the new, very large IKEA store, I hope, desire, and expect Burbank to continue to be a safe and comfortable place to live and work.

It appears the new IKEA store will yield benefit to the city of Burbank and those of us who live and work here. However, along with the benefits, come at least two adverse consequences that concern me: pedestrian safety along San Fernando Road between Verdugo and Alameda, and damage that will be done to our air quality.

However, I am more concerned about what appears to be the lack of interest on the parts of both the IKEA Corporation and our Burbank city government, to seriously consider and pursue mitigation of the pedestrian safety and air quality issues. These concerns have been well addressed and articulated in earlier op-ed pieces by Sharon Springer, Ken Lewis and Thomas Saito.

I believe that those who share the concerns I have about the proposed IKEA plan are not opposed to a larger IKEA presence in Burbank. Rather, our desire is that IKEA and the city of Burbank take steps to do what is right. To protect the safety and health of those of us for whom Burbank is home, by working and planning to mitigate the risks to pedestrian safety and air quality in our city.

Doug Wiskow
Burbank