MOTION-- On August 21,2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the construction and operation of are placement passenger terminal building and improvements at the Hollywood Burbank Airport. The FAA has allowed public comment on the DEIS for only 45 days, with the comment period set to end on October 4, 2020, The COVID-19 emergency has curtailed opportunities for the kinds of robust public presentations that would typically be associated with a project of this magnitude, and this project may have significant impacts on Los Angeles neighborhoods. Even under normal circumstances, a 45 day comment period would not be adequate for a project of this magnitude, and it would be especially inadequate given the limitations inherent during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In order to allow fulsome and robust participation by all interested parties, particularly in communities near and impacted by the Hollywood Burbank Airport, the comment period should be extended. The City of Los Angeles should have adequate time to consider the impacts of the airport expansion project on the City and participate in the environmental review process to ensure that its interests and those of its residents are protected.
WE THEREFORE MOVE that the Council REQUEST the City Attorney to draft a letter calling upon the Federal Aviation Administration to extend the 45 day comment period to a total of 120 days, in order to allow all stakeholders, including the City, ample time to analyze the Draft Environmental Impact Statement related to the Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal project and submit their concerns.
WE FURTHER MOVE that the Council REQUEST the City Attorney, in concert with the Chief Legislative Analyst, the Planning Department, the Department of Transportation and all other relevant city agencies, to review the potential practical, legal and environmental impacts of the Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal project on the City of Los Angeles, and to submit comments in response to the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement to the Federal Aviation Administration highlighting those impacts and requesting redress and mitigations that will protect the interests of the City and its residents.