Bob Hope Airport May Get Much-Needed Makeover

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Bob Hope Airport may be getting a much-needed makeover in the near future, but not everyone is on board with the potential upgrade.

Portions of the Airport's terminal are over 80 years old, and are reportedly not up to current earthquake standards, while its close proximity to a number of active runways prevents it from meeting FAA safety standards.

In fact, the terminal, parts of which were built in 1930, is only 300 feet away from an active runway, which is less than half of what the FAA safety standards require.

While plans for a new terminal have been debated since the early 1980s, neighbors are upset about what the process of the addition could mean.

"When you're waking up at three or four o'clock in the morning, you're awake," neighbor Mike Nolan said of the occasional noise from the airport.

While the airport has a voluntary curfew that lasts from ten o'clock p.m. to seven in the morning, the occasional flight does make noise in the earlier morning hours.

"I'm retired now and I hear them more often," neighbor Terry Bruse said. "So I'm home every day, and I count the flights between 7:00 and 8:30 in the morning they're like every five minutes apart. It just drives you nuts."

Airport officials say that they are not dictating plans for a new terminal on the community, but that they are listening and incorporating ideas into their considerations.

"Number one, planes have continued to get quieter," Public Affairs Director Victor Gill suggested. "Number two, they're also flying less frequently now. And lastly, we've gone out and spent about $105 million over the last 20 years, insulating both homes and schools in the immediate vicinity."

The airport will make a decision on a new terminal in 2015.