Court Rules Burbank Can Block Airport Expansion

BURBANK — A state appellate court ruled Wednesday that the city of Burbank has the power to block Burbank Airport’s planned expansion, giving anti-noise opponents a key victory in the long and contentious battle over a new terminal.

In a serious setback for its planned 19-gate terminal, the judges ruled that the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority lacks an “exclusive and unrestricted right” to develop the terminal without approval from Burbank.

The Airport Authority contended that it could develop the 130-acre terminal site without city approval because Burbank had ceded its authority with the 1977 creation of the three-city airport governing board.

But the judges, in a 15-page opinion, said the city “may not delegate discretionary powers in such a way that results in a total abdication of those powers.”