Developer Interest Spurs Talk of Hawthorne Closure
Some Hawthorne City Council members are talking about the possibility of closing the city's airport. Developers have suggested converting Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) into a commercial retail site. Such a development would bring jobs and tax revenue to the city while putting an end to complaints about airport noise, the developers say.
At the December 28 meeting of the Hawthorne City Council, Pacific Retail Corp. presented a proposal seeking an exclusive 18- to 36-month agreement to plan a retail complex to be located on the airport. The company claims the city would receive $3.2 million per year from the complex. AOPA is working with the FAA at both the regional and headquarters levels to evaluate the plan. The airport, located just east of Los Angeles International (LAX), is home base to 160 aircraft.
Butte County Supervisors Support Housing Development Near Airport
The Butte County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to overrule the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) to allow construction of up to 160 homes near Chico Municipal Airport.
AOPA's ASN volunteer had alerted the association to the proposed development under the downwind legs of the traffic pattern for Runway 13R/31L just west of the airport. A number of groups expressed opposition to the plan, including AOPA, the California Pilots Association (CPA), Caltrans, the ALUC, and the City of Chico Airport Commission. Opponents of the proposed housing development say it would put homes too close to the airport.
Under California law, the county supervisors must adopt "overriding findings" to justify the decision to overrule the ALUC. Such findings have not yet been adopted, but AOPA is exploring legal options to challenge the supervisors' vote. Meanwhile CPA President Jay White has said that a lawsuit might be filed to contest the board's action.
Aviation Groups Join Forces to Strengthen GA in California
AOPA and four other aviation associations have joined forces to form the California Aviation Association Coalition.
The new group is composed of members of AOPA, the California Aviation Business Association, the California Pilots Association, the National Business Aviation Association, and the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives. The coalition plans to focus the efforts of the member groups on strengthening general aviation in California.
At its first meeting in December the new coalition discussed legislation affecting funding for general aviation, the year 2000 problem, and legislation to help keep airports open, among other issues.
AOPA Investigates Threats to Death Valley Airport
AOPA is looking into a proposal to close Stovepipe Wells Airport in Death Valley National Park. The airport (L09) was slated for closure several years ago when a park management study found that it was used less frequently than the park's other airport, Furnace Creek.
Park officials admit, however, that Stovepipe Wells' Runway 5/23 is commonly used as a crosswind alternative to Furnace Creek's Runway 15/33. No date has been set for closing Stovepipe Wells. According to the closure plan, the airport will simply be abandoned except for use as an emergency helicopter pad.
Park officials say that they might be willing to reconsider the planned closure if enough people object. Meanwhile AOPA has sent a letter to the park service opposing the proposed closure.
State Officials Reject School in Mather Overflight Zone
Four proposed school sites near Sacramento's Mather Airport have been rejected because all four fell within the airport's overflight zone. Residents of the nearby Village of Zinfandel development had hoped to build a school in the area, but Caltrans officials rejected not only the sites they had proposed but any site on the 823-acre property.
For the past year, AOPA has opposed the decision to locate the Zinfandel Village residential subdivision so near to the eastern approaches to Mather. AOPA has participated in public meetings and written to the county board of supervisors opposing this incompatible land use.
Debate Continues Over San Diego Air Commerce Center
The San Diego City Council recently heard arguments from both sides of the debate over the future of San Diego's Brown Field Airport. Developers have proposed turning the airport into an air cargo facility to be called the San Diego Air Commerce Center. While everyone seems to agree that the city needs a new air cargo facility that will be able to handle growing demand, there is little agreement that Brown Field is the right place for such a center.
The draft development plans call for a large air cargo facility, a corporate aviation facility, and the creation of nonaeronautical retail and industrial space on airport property. Developers are anxious to get the green light to proceed with the project because a memorandum of understanding that would give the developers a 50-year lease of the airport in return for the development is set to expire shortly.
But opponents of the planned development say the type of heavy aircraft slated to use the new facility would not be able to operate safely in the available airspace. The San Diego Airspace Users Group, of which AOPA is a member, warns that mountains to the east and the Mexican border just three miles to the south of the field would force aircraft to take off to the west and land to the east, creating "head-on" traffic. The problem could be exacerbated by the proximity of traffic from Lindbergh Field and Navy operations to the west.
Additionally, AOPA does not believe that general aviation needs are being adequately addressed. AOPA officials are working with representatives of the FAA in Washington to assure that the city of San Diego takes steps to provide facilities for GA use.
Noise-Monitoring Program Concerns Ventura County Pilots
Pilots in Ventura County fear that a proposed noise-monitoring program for the Camarillo (CMA) and Oxnard (OXR) airports will be very expensive but would do little to address area residents' noise concerns.
The program's noise-monitoring system is estimated to cost a total of $1.25 million to put in place at both airports and another $387,000 per year to maintain. Implementing the program would require additional airport staff, but area pilots say the two airports receive few noise complaints — an average of six per month (total) at both airports — and the cost of the noise-monitoring system seems out of proportion to the problem.
Howard Maroz, AOPA ASN volunteer for CMA, is among the pilots who have denounced the plan as a waste of money. He told the California Pilots Association that noise-monitoring programs at other Southern California airports — including Santa Monica Municipal and Torrance's Zamperini Field — do not work. He also claimed that the number of noise complaints actually increased once area residents learned of the monitoring programs at those airports.
Maroz and other pilots have suggested that pilot education and public outreach programs might be more effective ways to deal with airport noise issues.
In addition to the monitoring system itself, the proposed noise program would require the construction of a new parallel runway at Camarillo Airport and the purchase of homes affected by the noise from Oxnard Airport. These two elements of the program would cost another $6.5 million.
AOPA has notified the cities of Oxnard and Camarillo as well as the airport authorities and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors of its opposition to such "overkill."
Cities Object to Development Limits Around Six Sonoma Airports
Sonoma County officials have come under fire for a proposal to strictly limit development around six airports in the county.
County officials say the new rules, which would limit the development of homes and businesses under flight paths within three miles of the airport, are needed to protect those on the ground from noise and possible accidents. The proposed rules would limit the height of buildings near the airports, require additional soundproofing for new developments, and prohibit the construction of schools directly under the approach and departure flight paths at the airports.
But officials from the cities where the affected airports are located claim the plan is too restrictive, would conflict with existing growth plans, and would diminish the rights of area property owners.
The proposal, the first comprehensive update of airport land use rules for the county since 1981, would affect Cloverdale Municipal Airport, Healdsburg Airport, Petaluma Municipal Airport, Sonoma County Airport, Sonoma Skypark, and Sonoma Valley Airport.
The Airport Land Use Commission was scheduled to decide on the plan in early December, but has postponed making a decision while it considers the cities' arguments.
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