Disney Could Lease Marine Blimp Hangar

The City Council on Monday will consider a lease agreement with Walt Disney Pictures to use the historic blimp hangar at the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station for a film.

Under the plan, Disney would lease the vacant South hangar for two years. The Burbank-based company is apparently planning to use the space as a sound stage for an action film, “Armageddon,” starring Bruce Willis, city officials said.

The terms of the lease were not disclosed. Money from the deal would go to the U.S. Marine Corps, which owns the property. The city would be reimbursed for administrative costs, and the hangar would receive some maintenance, Councilwoman Tracy Wills Worley said.

“We’ve been aggressively seeking interim leases,” she said. “It helps with maintenance problems you run into with these properties.”

One of two historic blimp hangars on the marine base, the South hangar was built in 1943 with about 298,000 square feet of floor space. It has since been included in the National Register of Historic Places.