Developers look at Hawthorne—again
Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne Municipal Airport is in the spotlight again. The Hawthorne City Council has agreed to consider development of the property and surrounding land for nonaviation uses.
Airport Support Network volunteer Gary Parsons alerted AOPA that the council voted three to two on August 28 to grant an 18-month exclusive right to Paladin Partners LLC to develop what it called a "highest and best use" proposal for the property. In mid-September, Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of regional affairs, traveled to Hawthorne airport to meet with Parsons and discuss the development proposal. AOPA has been actively working with the FAA, both at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles, to protect this valuable reliever airport.
The council's decision to grant the right to make a development proposal does not mean that the city must approve any land use development plan that results.
In fact, the council has been sending mixed signals about its intentions for the airport. While the recent vote means that the council will entertain ideas for converting the airport to other uses, the group also has indicated that it plans to approve an updated master plan for the airport and apply for FAA grants to make some safety improvements at the facility.
Even if the city were to decide to close the airport and develop the property, a number of obstacles could make following through with such a plan difficult. For one thing, the airport has accepted a number of airport improvement grants that don't expire until 2013. In addition, the land to the south of the airport's runway is believed to be contaminated as a result of years of industrial aircraft operations. Perhaps more persuasive is the threat of increased traffic to Los Angeles International Airport flying over the city of Hawthorne if the airport is closed.
Parsons and other airport supporters are planning to form a political action committee that will raise funds to support council candidates who support the airport and hopefully put an end to the long struggle to save the field from development. The next council elections will take place in November 2001.
Bay Area Regional Airport plan ready for review
The Bay Area could soon have a new regional airport system plan (RASP) that addresses the need for additional airport capacity and related environmental issues. The plan, which was put together by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, is scheduled to go before the Regional Airport Planning Committee for approval soon.
The RASP explores the need for more airport system capacity now and 10 and 20 years in the future. According to planners, demand already exceeds capacity at San Francisco International Airport when weather is poor. By 2010 demand at the airport will exceed capacity even in good weather. Other regional airports are in similar straits. Demand at Metropolitan Oakland International Airport is expected to exceed capacity sometime after 2010. The one exception to this trend is San Jose International, which is expected to have adequate capacity through the 20-year period covered by the RASP.
The plan contains a number of recommendations to deal with the expected capacity crunch, including ongoing studies of multiple runway configurations for San Francisco and Oakland airports. The plan also suggests protecting future development options by indicating regional interest in using Travis Air Force Base and Moffett Federal Airfield for civil aviation and recognizing that commercial airports need an effective general aviation reliever airport system to accommodate small aircraft.
To help make the general aviation reliever airport system effective, the plan encourages the FAA to install advanced navigational equipment at the region's major reliever airports as soon as possible.
Advocates of the regional approach to airport planning hope that the RASP update will influence local decisions that could reduce capacity or close airports.
Communities consider lawsuit against FAA
Three Southern California communities are considering suing the FAA over changes in the flight tracks of aircraft arriving and departing Los Angeles International Airport.
Rancho Palos Verdes, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach claim that changes to the flight paths around LAX have adversely affected their communities. In addition to the proposed lawsuit, the cities have proposed purchasing and maintaining a radar flight tracking system. The system would be used to monitor aircraft operating to and from LAX and to document the negative impact on the three cities.
AOPA has had some experience with one of the law firms that the cities plan to retain. The same firm represented a developer who proposed a major residential project adjacent to Napa County Airport. AOPA and the Napa County Airport Land Use Commission worked together to fight the proposal. After a court ruled that the land use commission had acted properly in denying the proposed development, the developer withdrew its plan.
AOPA, ASN volunteer, officials work to reopen airport to night operations
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer James Carson is working with airport users and the county to reopen Nevada County Airpark in Grass Valley to night operations.
Caltrans Aeronautics recently closed the field to night operations because of the hazard posed by a number of tall trees adjacent to the airport. Caltrans officials said that they have been working with airport authorities for more than four years to resolve the issue by either cutting the trees or installing obstruction lights. Because the trees are on private property, the county has been reluctant to take action to cut them. The county has received grant funding to install obstruction lights, but those funds have reportedly been "misplaced."
Meanwhile, Caltrans has threatened to close the airport for all operations on November 9 if no action is taken to mitigate the safety hazard posed by the trees.
Legislation supported by AOPA passes
Several state legislative measures that have received support from AOPA, including one that would impose limits on the possessory tax, have passed both houses and been sent to the governor for his signature.
A.B.1966, which affects the way that possessory interest taxes are assessed, passed the state Senate on August 10 and was approved by the Assembly on August 18. The bill means that someone newly leasing a hangar at a publicly owned airport will not be taxed on the possessory interest at the start of the lease. Instead, the first tax bill will be issued during the next fiscal year. The measure tries to eliminate the inequity of charging a tax on possessory interest in cases where the interest is terminated before the end of the fiscal year.
Meanwhile S.B.1350, which has received support from AOPA, also has been sent to the governor for his signature. The bill contains a variety of provisions affecting local governments, including a provision that will make current airport land use law applicable to special districts, including airport districts. The airport-related provisions of the bill originally were proposed in A.B.2940. While the legislature allowed that measure to die, the passage of S.B.1350 accomplishes the same goal. The bill passed the Assembly on August 23 and the Senate on August 28.
Of course, aviation doesn't win every battle, and one measure supported by AOPA died when the Legislature failed to act on it before the August 31 deadline. S.B.1084, which was sponsored in part by AOPA and other members of the California Aviation Alliance, would have provided for Caltrans Aeronautics to review all local airport land use plans before their adoption to ensure that the provisions of the Caltrans Airport Land Use Planning Handbook were taken into consideration. The legislation also would have required that local planning commissions refer to the handbook when reviewing any project within an airport's sphere of influence.
AOPA and other supporters had hoped that the bill would ensure that some level of aviation expertise was included in land use and development plans around airports.
Industrial Park proposal for Gillespie Field
The Gillespie Field Development Council recently heard a proposal that "surplus" airport land be used for an industrial park, but airport supporters believe that any such development would violate the deed that created the airport. Airport Support Network volunteer Bruce Overson informed AOPA about the meeting and the requirements of the deed.
The Marine Corps deeded the airport property to the county and city of El Cajon in 1953 with the stipulation that "no property transferred by this instrument…be used, leased, sold, salvaged, or disposed of…for other than airport purposes without materially and adversely affecting the development, improvement, operations, or maintenance of the airport at which such property is located."
In fact, many airport advocates believe the airport is already in violation of that agreement and two others from 1962 and 1967. They point to the building of a major street through airport property, effectively cutting off a portion of the airport. In fact, that project, constructed in 1999 and 2000, has raised a number of eyebrows because it was apparently done without FAA approval. The county claims to have sent a letter requesting FAA approval for the road but adds that the letter has been lost. FAA officials say they never received such a letter. AOPA is working with the FAA to ensure that the county lives up to its obligations as detailed in the letter of transfer.
Sonoma County prepares to limit growth around airports
The Sonoma County Airport Land Use Commission is expected to adopt regulations that will limit the number of new homes and businesses that can be built within three miles of critical flight zones.
The restrictions will limit building up to three miles from areas where aircraft are taking off, turning, and landing. The commission says that the new rules are necessary to protect people on the ground from aircraft noise and possible accidents while protecting airports from encroaching development.
The new rules will apply to thousands of acres of property around Sonoma County, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma, and Sonoma Valley airports, as well as Sonoma Skypark. However, bowing to pressure from local developers, the ACLU has agreed to conduct an environmental impact assessment before adopting the new restrictions.
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