|
June 12, 2001 Glendale City Council City of Glendale 613 East Broadway Glendale, CA 91206 Dear Mayor Gomez and Glendale Councilmembers: The Burbank City Council has closely followed your Council’s deliberations regarding the Airport Commission appointments. We very much appreciate the attention your Council has given to this matter, which is of such great importance to us. While prior Glendale Councils often took a “hands off” approach to Airport matters, your Council’s willingness to get more involved and give direction to your Commissioners is a breath of fresh air. Five years ago this week, the Authority filed the first lawsuit against the City over the new terminal. I believe that this regrettable anniversary is an appropriate occasion to commit to finding a resolution to the Airport controversy. The Burbank City Council would like to propose that we get together to discuss the Airport situation. I suggest that the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena City Councils initiate a new dialogue as soon as possible. There are two major issues that are extremely important to us. The first is a mandatory 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew as a precondition to a new terminal and the second is enforceable limits on future growth of the Airport. We see both of these as critical elements to our being able to live up to our obligations to protect the quality of life of our residents. The existing voluntary curfew has been touted for many years but provides little protection for our residents, as there has been no meaningful enforcement when operators choose to ignore it. The need for an enforceable limit on future growth stems from our need to be able to provide our residents a degree of certainty on what the future impact will be on their quality of life. For most of these people, the investment they have in their homes represents their life savings and, as you are well aware, they look to us to protect that investment. We have watched your Council take thoughtful action to prevent such things as future hillside development, even in the face of a tremendous regional housing need and feel confident that you can understand why we feel so strongly about these issues. We believe these are fundamental policy issues that currently separate the Airport Authority and the City of Burbank and we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to see if there is a way that we can bridge this divide. In addition to discussing the essential principles for a settlement, we believe that it would be productive to discuss the key issue of Burbank’s participation in the currently pending curfew study (known as the Part 161 Study). The Authority has repeatedly rejected City offers to participate in the study formally (through joint funding) or to consult informally (by meeting with the technical consultants). As a result, the credibility of the study is increasingly open to question. If there ever is to be a final agreement, the credibility of the Part 161 Study is absolutely essential. We sincerely hope you will take this letter as a genuine commitment on our part to respond to your Council’s expressed willingness to get more involved in the Airport impasse and to give direction to your Commissioners. Please do not hesitate to call me directly, or have Mr. Starbird work with Mr. Ovrom, to set a date, time and place to get together. Sincerely, BURBANK CITY COUNCIL c: Mayor Bill Bogaard Dios Marrero
|