Nonprofit drops suit against city, IKEA

A nonprofit that sued Burbank and IKEA earlier this year, claiming the city had not prepared an adequate environmental impact report for the retailer’s massive expansion project, has agreed to dismiss its suit.

Citizens Advocating Rational Development brought the suit in April, alleging that the report did not discuss requirements that the project implement energy-saving techniques or hardware. The filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court also alleged that the report was inadequate in its analysis of water supply, air quality, greenhouse emissions and climate change.

In an emailed statement, Gary Rotkop, the attorney for the nonprofit, said it and IKEA had reached a settlement of its challenge against Burbank’s approval of the project, and that the group and its members “have no objections or concerns with the IKEA project moving forward.”

As a result of the settlement, the suit, which named both the city and IKEA as parties, has been dismissed, said Burbank City Atty. Amy Albano.

“The city never believed that there was anything wrong” with the environmental impact report, Albano said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Burbank City Council will consider an ordinance that states it will follow its own procedures for conducting environmental impact reports, Albano said, which she said is something the city already does.

The settlement does not promise that the city will actually adopt the ordinance, only that the council will consider it, Albano said. She said the council cannot be compelled by such a settlement to adopt an ordinance.

In March, the council approved IKEA’s development of a new store nearly twice the size of its current Burbank site, which was its first in California when it opened in 1990.

The new store, which will be the Swedish furniture giant’s largest in the U.S., will be built a few blocks away from the existing facility, on a nearly 23-acre lot at 805 S. San Fernando Blvd.

The development will include an underground parking level, a ground level for retail and warehouse areas, and supervised children’s play area, and an upper level consisting of showrooms, offices and a restaurant. It will have 1,726 parking spots and 86 bicycle parking spaces. The retailer plans to add 85 employees to the operation, for a total of 450 workers.

IKEA did not immediately return a request for comment.