Burbank Sues Over Land in Airport Battle

BURBANK — Claiming jobs and tax dollars are on the line, the city of Burbank filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court Thursday aimed at blocking transfer to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority of a 130-acre site that once housed the Lockheed Co.’s plant.

The action opens yet another front in the battle between the city and the Airport Authority over whether the airfield should be allowed to expand.

Burbank wants the Airport Authority to build a smaller terminal than now planned because of concern over additional traffic and noise. The dispute has spawned at least half a dozen separate court battles.

In the latest lawsuit, the city seeks to derail the Airport Authority’s efforts to condemn land of the Lockheed Martin Corp., where the new terminal is slated to be built.

The city claims portions of the Lockheed land could be put to better use--hotels and offices, for instance. The Airport Authority claims all the land is needed for airport uses, especially parking.

The land in question fell into disuse after Lockheed moved out of the city in stages in the early 1990s, costing Burbank thousands of jobs.

Through this action, Burbank seeks “to replace the jobs and tax base that were lost” by seeing that some of the property is set aside for commercial uses, City Manager Bud Ovrom said.

The Airport Authority first moved to condemn land from Lockheed Martin Corp. last year. A Superior Court judge last week reaffirmed the airport’s right to take over the property on June 8.

The city requested an injunction that would prevent the airport from taking possession of the property.

The city claims the Airport Authority has no power to condemn the property because it has not received approval for its plans from Burbank, as state law requires.

Lockheed has raised similar points in its defense in the condemnation suit, but the court has not heeded them, said Victor Gill, spokesman for the Airport Authority.