Palmdale to annex land near airport

The city will annex 4,545 acres southeast of Palmdale Regional Airport under a resolution adopted on a 4-0 vote by the City Council last week.

Though approved by the council, the annexation still must be sanctioned by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Los Angeles County.

The move was taken so municipal officials could offer financial incentives to businesses operating or considering operating on the site, which represents about onefourth of the land owned by Los Angeles World Airports.

LAWA, the airport department of the city of Los Angeles, owns 17,500 acres east of Palmdale's airport.

City officials have acknowledged they are negotiating with new aerospace firms interested in relocating to the property, but they have declined to divulge any names.

Some claim at least two of the firms could bring as many as 5,000 jobs each to the Antelope Valley.

The land also lies within the boundaries of the state-approved enterprise zone, an area in which businesses can obtain state tax credits for certain employee hires and equipment investments.

The move to annex the property spurred no debate. Before casting an assenting vote, Mayor Jim Ledford said the move could open the door to increased cooperation between Palmdale and Los Angeles in terms of economic development.

The land already is home to Site 9, a 1 million-square-foot aircraft production plant owned by The Boeing Co., as well as a smaller facility owned and operated by the BAE Systems aircraft company.

The Boeing property is being purchased by SR Technics America Ltd., a Swiss firm that specializes in overhauling and maintaining aircraft and converting passenger jets for cargo use.

SR Technics is expected to create 5,000 to 6,000 jobs in the Valley by 2004.

Now that Site 9 is taken, other aircraft-oriented companies will have to build new facilities. Through annexation, the city will be able to assist them in such efforts, officials have said.

An immediate effect of bringing the land into the city's boundaries would be the termination of a county-imposed 10% surcharge on utilities used by business operations.