BURBANK : Meeting Planned on Airport Expansion

Burbank Airport officials will hold a special meeting tonight to answer questions about plans to expand the airport’s terminal, and to “open up dialogue” with residents, officialssaid.

The meeting will include a question-and-answer session with airport officials.

A representative of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Western-Pacific Region also will be available to answer questions.

“We want the community to be aware of what’s factual and what isn’t. We think it is important for the community to feel comfortable asking us questions directly,” said Tom Greer, the airport’s executive director.

Greer also said “incorrect information” may be to blame for some of the controversy surrounding the terminal expansion.

The expansion plans call for the replacement of the airport’s current 14-gate, 163,000-square foot terminal with a 19-gate, 465,000-square-foot facility that would be built within about five years.

The new terminal is estimated to cost $350 million, about $100 million of which would be used to purchase land for the expansion.

Debate over the expansion plans has erupted among Burbank City Council members and residents living beneath airport flight paths, who have voiced concerns about increased noise increases.

The airport needs the city’s approval to issue tax-free bonds to buy land for the new terminal, but city officials said a public hearing must be held on the matter before that approval can be granted.

No date for the hearing has been set.

Tonight’s meeting is from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in the auditorium at Luther Burbank Middle School, 3700 W. Jeffries Ave.