BURBANK TO SPEED ITS REVIEW; AIRPORT OFFICIALS SAY PROCESS IS TOO SLOW TO MEET DEADLINE.

Byline: Lee Condon Staff Writer

The city of Burbank will speed up its review of Burbank Airport's expansion plan, but the time line still is not quick enough for airport officials.

Burbank Mayor Stacey Murphy announced Tuesday that the city's planning staff had trimmed the review process down from five months to 92 days. Murphy said it is the quickest possible review the city can accomplish given the project's massive size and requirements for public hearings and public review of project documents.

``We will not be rushed into an agreement that compromises our core principles,'' Murphy said in a ``State of the Airport'' address during the Burbank City Council meeting Tuesday night.

``Expansion of the airport without enforceable limits on the adverse effects of such an expansion is simply not in the best interest of the residents of Burbank.''

Victor Gill, a spokesman for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, said the 92-day process is too long because the airport needs to secure city approval by July 26. Even with the expedited process, the Burbank City Council will not be able to vote on the proposal until Sept. 28.

``The authority is still faced with a decision on whether to come up with $30 million well prior to that date,'' Gill said.

The airport has been ordered by a judge to pay $30 million to Lockheed Martin by July 26 and an additional $29 million by Aug. 26. The airport has been ordered to pay the money to complete the purchase of 130 acres of Lockheed Martin land it sued to take by eminent domain. However, under a recent Court of Appeal ruling, the airport has to get the city of Burbank's permission before buying land for an expanded terminal.

Gill said the airport might have to abandon its purchase of the site if it cannot secure approval from Burbank in time. Airport commissioners and staffers are wary of paying Lockheed Martin for the land before they know if Burbank will approve or reject the purchase.

``We don't know what the process will yield,'' Gill said. ``The authority would have to weigh the risk. We'd be putting $60 million on the line for an unknown asset.''

After four years and numerous court battles over airport expansion, the city of Burbank and airport officials have been holding out hope in recent months that they are close to breaking the deadlock. Burbank officials have opposed expansion saying they first want a mandatory curfew on night flights and a noise budget put in place.

Gill said he doubts Lockheed Martin would be willing to provide a time extension since the company's lawyers have argued so strenuously in court for speedy payment of what Lockheed Martin is owed.

Gail Rymer, a spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin, said no one has approached the company about asking for a time extension.

``We would follow that court order unless we're approached by the airport authority and the court to do otherwise,'' Rymer said. ``At this time nobody has approached us.''

Rymer said that all the court has ordered the airport to do is increase the amount of money it has on deposit with Lockheed Martin. Just because the airport transfers the money to Lockheed Martin does not mean the judge has to confer title to the property to the airport.

``Time is not an issue in this whole thing. Increase the deposit and we'll sit and wait,'' Rymer said.

Dios Marrero, the airport's acting executive director, said he was encouraged by the city's decision Tuesday to accept their airport's complete application. Marrero said the airport and city want a new terminal and that both sides need to keep the channels of communication open.

In her speech, Murphy also asked the mayors of Glendale and Pasadena and the president of the Airport Authority to join her in signing a letter addressed to Federal Aviation Administration head Jane Garvey. In the letter, Murphy asks Garvey to help speed up the process for securing federal approval of a mandatory curfew on night flights and other noise restrictions.