BGPAA Commission Selects Design Concept for Replacement Passenger Terminal
The development of the replacement passenger terminal (known as “Elevate BUR”) has marked another major milestone, with Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (
Below is a list of FAQ’s for the Hollywood Burbank Airport Elevate BUR. Please click a question below for more information.
Why does the Airport Authority need to replace the current terminal?
The proposed project stems from several problems with the existing passenger terminal building. The existing passenger terminal building does not meet current FAA standards related to runway separation and object free areas. It is also obsolete in terms of contemporary passenger terminal design and efficient utilization standards. Further, it does not meet current State building requirements. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a passenger terminal building that meets all current FAA standards, passenger demand, and building requirements as well as improve utilization and operational efficiency of the passenger terminal building. FAA’s need is defined by the statutory requirement to decide whether to approve the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) developed by the Authority, pursuant to USC § 47107(a)(16).
What was Measure B?
On November 8, 2016, the voters of Burbank approved an agreement between the City of Burbank and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. It gives the Airport Authority the right to build a 14-gate, 355,000-square-foot replacement passenger terminal. In exchange, Burbank receives control over critical decisions about the Airport’s future.
What are the protections for Burbank’s future?
With the passage of Measure B, the Joint Powers Agreement that governs the nine-member Airport Authority Commission has been changed to require a “supermajority” vote (at least two Commissioners from each city) for key decisions regarding Airport expansion and noise impacts. In other words, two of three Burbank Commissioners can block Airport expansion decisions and more, even if outnumbered by the Glendale and Pasadena Commissioners. Approval of Measure B gives Burbank the ability to stop attempts to increase the number of terminal gates; change the voluntary nighttime curfew or the noise rules; change support for federal authorization to implement a mandatory nighttime curfew; allow parking of scheduled commercial airline passenger aircraft other than at the terminal gates; or expand the current terminal or any new terminal.
Are Commissioners elected or appointed to the Airport Authority Commission?
Commissioners are appointed to the Airport Authority Commission by their respective City Councils. Currently, the Airport Authority Commission is composed of both City Council Members and citizen appointees.
What are the potential sites for a Elevate BUR?
The preferred site is the Adjacent Parcel, the 49-acre B-6 site. The main entrance to the new terminal would move from Thornton at Hollywood Way to Winona at Hollywood Way. Elevate BUR will be more convenient to use compared to the current terminal, but at a safer distance from the runways and with more passenger amenities, less crowding, and more places to eat, shop, and wait in comfort.
Will Elevate BUR be easy to use?
The 2012 public opinion survey showed that among the Airport’s most popular attributes are convenience and ease of use. Close-in valet and self-parking, loading of aircraft from the back and front, and convenient access to ground transit, including rail, are just some of the features that may be reproduced or improved in Elevate BUR building. A relocated terminal will provide an even higher level of safety and security; retain the friendly, accessible and easy-to-use attributes of the current terminal; have no more than the current 14 passenger gates; be built without use of local tax dollars; meet current FAA safety standards for distance from the runway; meet today’s earthquake design standards; and provide greater user amenities.
What about handicapped access and accessibility?
Any new terminal will comply with the most current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations and provide the maximum amount of accessibility, including access up to the door of the aircraft.
How large will Elevate BUR be compared to the current one?
The existing terminal has two levels (plus a basement) and a total of 232,000 square feet. Elevate BUR will also have two levels (plus a basement), and will not exceed 355,000 square feet. Elevate BUR will be larger than the current terminal so that the Airport Authority can provide a safer airport terminal with added amenities that are typically found in modern airports:
- Variety of restaurants and concessions
- Improved restrooms
- Wider corridors and more spacious waiting areas
- Up to date facilities for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger and baggage security screenings
- Improved ticket lobby and airline check-in and baggage drop-off facilities
- Adequate space for airline administrative, bag service, and ticket offices
- More room for airline baggage processing and roomier baggage claim areas
- Fully integrated designs for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility
Who will pay for a Elevate BUR?
Airports are funded through fees and charges by the passengers, airlines, and tenants who use the facility. Airport funding sources include FAA grants, parking fees, landing fees, rents from concessionaires and other tenants, passenger facility charges, and federal taxes on every airline ticket sold. State and local taxes are not used. No local City of Burbank funds will be used to pay for Elevate BUR. It is anticipated that the FAA will provide a portion of the overall cost.
When the Elevate BUR is constructed and the existing terminal is demolished, will that trigger large jet airline departures to the east over downtown Burbank and Glendale?
No. In 1986, the FAA banned easterly take-offs of all aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds due to a number of safety concerns. These concerns included the proximity of aircraft parking and loading within 50 feet of the edge of the runway, as well as the absence of a parallel taxiway on Runway 8-26 (east to west runway). In 2006, the Airport Authority constructed the extension of Taxiway D, which addressed the immediate concerns of the FAA. However, the FAA continues to ban easterly departures on Runway 8-26.
The primary reason for this continued ban on easterly departures is due to so-called “one engine inoperative” flight procedures, which are now required by the FAA for airline operations. In the event a right engine shuts down during take-off, these procedures require a pilot to turn left in order to approach the Airport for an emergency landing. The proximity of the Verdugo Mountains does not provide enough space for this left turn to be made safely and, therefore, the ban on easterly take-offs remains. Other flight conditions contribute to this ban on easterly departures including the presence of an LAX aircraft traffic corridor immediately east of the Airport, prevailing wind patterns, and the short length of Runway 8-26. Demolition of the existing terminal building will not change the one engine inoperative flight procedure.
Additionally, the location, shorter length, and limited navigation procedures of Runway 8-26 as compared to Runway 15-33 will continue to make Runway 15-33 the preferred departure runway.
What about the 59-acre B-6 site along Hollywood Way?
In 2016, the Airport Authority sold the 59-acre B-6 site along Hollywood Way (sometimes referred to as the “Opportunity Site”) to Overton Moore Properties. The Airport Authority will use the proceeds from the sale to help pay for the replacement passenger terminal.
What is the process for deciding what will go on the 59-acre B-6 site?
Burbank Industrial Investors, a successor to Overton Moore Properties, is currently developing the site with uses that are approved by the Burbank City Council.
Is aviation noise better or worse than in the past?
The noise impact area from the Airport has been dramatically reduced from what it was when the Airport Authority acquired the Airport from Lockheed in 1978. Since that time, the noise impact area has been reduced by more than 85 percent. This reduction is due to the elimination of older, noisier Stage 2 jets, and to consistent improvements in the aircraft fleet used by the airlines. Another reason for the reduction is that the Airport Authority has spent more than $100 million on its residential acoustical treatment program for schools and homes.
What is – and is not – covered by the Airport’s voluntary curfew?
The Airport’s voluntary 10:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. curfew dates from the 1970s and covers arrival and departure times for scheduled commercial passenger airlines like Southwest and other scheduled airlines. It does not cover general aviation flights (private planes); air cargo carriers such as Fed Ex and UPS; or police, military, or medical emergency flights.
Is the curfew currently complied with?
There is 98 percent compliance with the voluntary curfew. Of the approximately 81 daily flights currently scheduled at the Airport, there is only one inside the curfew hours, an American Airlines flight with a gate pushback scheduled at 6:50 a.m. That flight typically is “wheels up” at 7:00 a.m.
Is it true that only the FAA, not the City of Burbank (or any city) and not the Airport Authority (or any airport operator), can unilaterally impose a mandatory curfew?
Yes. In 1990, Congress enacted the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA), which prohibits all airport operators from imposing new noise rules that restrict access by aircraft. In that law, Congress provided a mechanism for airport operators to seek permission from the FAA to impose new aircraft access restrictions by conducting a “Part 161 Study” that evaluates the costs and benefits of imposing a new rule (such as a curfew) against the impacts that the new rule would have on the National Airspace System. The Airport Authority conducted a Part 161 Study that took nine years and cost more than $7 million. The Airport Authority then asked the FAA to approve the implementation of a mandatory 10:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. curfew. The FAA reviewed the study and denied the request.
Will there ever be a mandatory nighttime curfew?
In order for the Airport Authority to implement a mandatory curfew at the Airport, Congress would need to amend the Airport Noise and Capacity Act. The Airport Authority supports the City of Burbank’s effort to achieve a mandatory curfew through Congressional legislation. Although past efforts by the Airport Authority, the City of Burbank, and Representatives Schiff and Sherman have not been successful, the efforts to achieve a mandatory curfew continue. With the passage of Measure B, the Airport Authority is required to continue supporting efforts to implement a mandatory curfew.
What are the economic benefits to the City of Burbank from the Airport?
According to the figures from the City of Burbank Financial Services Department, the Airport generates nearly $15 million annually in revenue to the city. Total revenues to the City of Burbank include $10.9 million in secured and unsecured property taxes, $2.6 million in parking taxes, and $1.4 million in sales tax. There are currently more than 2,300 people who work at the Airport.
Does the Airport generate any taxes for the City of Burbank?
Yes. There are various Airport-related taxes that are paid, including property tax on aircraft and tenant leaseholds, sales taxes from retail and food services and aviation fuels, and a 12 percent tax on parking fees paid by airport parking customers.
What kind of public input and outreach has been done, and will be done, to assure the community’s input on the Elevate BUR?
The public has had and will continue to have numerous opportunities to share their views about the future of the Airport and Elevate BUR, including: more than 30 presentations to the City Councils of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena; public workshops; regional organizations; and key opinion leaders during the concluded environmental review process.
In 2012, the Airport Authority commissioned a public opinion survey, conducted by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, which included focus groups, telephone interviews of more than 1,000 randomly selected individuals, and an online survey open to the public.
The Airport also held six public charrettes in the City of Burbank in 2019 to discuss the elements of the Elevate BUR and the new parking structures. The content of those charrettes can be accessed here.
Is implementing a mandatory curfew a precondition for the Elevate BUR?
The term sheet approved by the Airport Authority Commission and the Burbank City Council specifically stated that implementing a curfew is a not a prerequisite for Elevate BUR. With the passage of Measure B, the Airport Authority is required to continue supporting efforts to implement a mandatory curfew. The Airport Authority is committed to supporting the City of Burbank’s efforts to obtain from Congress a mandatory curfew consistent with the Airport Authority’s Part 161 Study. The Airport Authority spent nine years and over $7 million seeking a curfew through a Part 161 Study and the FAA rejected the application. The Airport Authority will implement a curfew whenever Congress acts. However, the uncertainty of when Congress might act means a curfew cannot be a precondition for building a Elevate BUR. The Authority cannot ignore the fact that the current terminal is too close to the runways and portions of it are 88 years old and do not meet current earthquake design standards. The Authority cannot hold off constructing a Elevate BUR indefinitely until Congress acts.
How can we keep track of what’s going on at the Airport?
The easiest way is to visit the Airport website. The Airport Authority also webcasts its regular meetings and posts them for replay. The public is also invited to subscribe to the Airport Authority’s monthly e-newsletter, and to follow the Airport on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Preliminary Design Concepts for Replacement Passenger Terminal Unveiled at Authority Meeting
The public is getting its first glimpse of what the replacement passenger terminal may look like. At today’s Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA) meeting, commissioners were presented with thre...
INDUSTRY DAY
October 30,2019
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