Planning for the 14-gate replacement passenger terminal began with the passage of Measure B by Burbank voters in November 2016.
In 2018, the Airport completed a Concept Validation Study to research the engineering feasibility of the preferred location. This study confirmed that Elevate BUR building and the other project elements are functional on the site.
On October 2019, the Airport held the final Public Design Charrette Workshop. The charrette workshop process consisted of a series of six workshops in the City of Burbank, as well as workshops in Glendale, Los Angeles and Pasadena, conducted by a professional facilitator to collect information from the community that will be used to inform the design-phase of the project. A document that provides a description of the process and the information it obtained can be found here. The final deliverable was also incorporated into the Program Definition Manual and scoring criteria for selection of a design proposal.
The Airport Authority chose a Progressive Design-Build delivery model for Elevate BUR. In April, 2022, the Airport Authority Commission contracted Jacobs Project Management Co. for Program Management services.
The Federal Aviation Administration has released a final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the project. This is the most stringent and thorough level of review available. NEPA is explained below.
The Concept Validation Study, Public Design Charrette Workshops, and Environmental Impact Statement together represent the Airport Authority’s commitment that the project be well planned, thoroughly reviewed, and inclusive of the community. These efforts will help ensure that the Airport delivers a modern, sustainable, convenient facility that will serve the community for decades to come.
NEPA stands for the “National Environmental Policy Act.” NEPA requires federal agencies like the FAA to incorporate environmental considerations in their planning and decision-making. All federal agencies must prepare assessments of the environmental impact of and alternatives to federal actions. These statements are commonly referred to as Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Environmental Assessments (EA). NEPA is similar to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA requires local and state government decision makers to assess the environmental impacts of proposed projects. A major project like the Replacement Passenger Terminal usually requires the preparation and certification of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prior to a local or state government agency taking a discretionary action about the project. The FAA must undertake a NEPA review of the Replacement Passenger Terminal before it can approve federal funding for its construction. Like CEQA, NEPA requires federal agencies to include public participation in reviewing and commenting on the scope and findings of a draft EIS.
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