Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is much busier and noisier than it was 12 years ago, the last time the federal government thoroughly evaluated how communities deal with its roaring and whining aircraft.
A rapidly growing airline that serves 32 cities wasn't on the airport's radar at the time, nor were the three large service centers of major aircraft companies that attract corporate jets and other general-aviation traffic.
And it didn't have to worry about population increases in now-burgeoning communities like east Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek.
The new businesses are part of decibel-building developments that are expected to increase as the Valley's only reliever airport evolves into a sprawling, jobs, education and research center over the next several decades.
Now Gateway officials say they are asking the Federal Aviation Administration to take another hard look at developing a balanced and cost-effective plan for reducing the impact of noise from airport operations where practical.
Although the number of noise complaints has actually decreased during the first 10 months of 2011 compared with the same period last year, airport officials say more noise is a certainty.
"The airport will get louder," said Casey Denny, Gateway's assistant director.
The 12-to-18-month assessment, he said, will be used to rewrite the airport's noise compatibility plan, control land development, reduce aircraft noise and mitigate the impact of noise on development.
Casey said the FAA will finance approximately 90 percent of the assessment, and because of current budget constraints, is more likely to conduct the so-called Part 150 study in 2013 or 2014
The results will be used to overhaul the airport's Noise Compatibility Plan and ensure that it is workable, efficient and improves the compatibility between aircraft and various land uses in Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek.
"The reason for the full study is because of changes in the communities that it needs to take into account, not as much for changes at the airport," Denny said.
"Community General Plans for Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek look different than they did during the last study, and we want to reconfirm that all of those plans are still compatible," he said. "We look at every case (community building request) that comes through on a case-by-case basis. But we need to step back and look at the bigger picture."
Planning directors for the communities told the airport's governing board that their municipalities have grown and developed in other ways since 1999 when the last comprehensive noise study was conducted.
Denny said it will also help the airport continue its mission to serve the Southeast Valley and the state by heightening awareness that increasing noise is inevitable and Gateway will continue to work with communities to lessen its impact.
He said he wasn't raising a caution flag to builders contemplating residential development near the airport, although community planners and municipal officials have discouraged home construction under flight contours where aircraft operations are noisiest.
But as new technologies soften the impact of noise, government regulators' attitudes about keeping all home construction at bay are also changing.
Mesa Planning Director John Wesley said noise-attenuation products used in today's buildings make it more difficult to "draw hard, fast lines" on an airport area planning map.
"If you can show us a way it can be done and not negatively impact the airport we are willing to listen and consider," he said.
Gilbert Planning Manager Kyle Mieras told airport board members that most property near the airport's highest decibel contours is commercial development along the west side of Power Road on Gateway's eastern boundary.
But the community that most often takes the brunt of aircraft noise is Queen Creek, the town's planning administrator, Wayne Balmer, said during a recent airport governing board meeting.
The longest portion of the airport's loudest noise contour extends over Queen Creek, which is immediately south of the former Air Force base, and includes a landing path for commercial and military aircraft.
Airport spokesman Brian Sexton said about 70 percent of arriving aircraft approaches runways from the south.
"Though planes are traveling at slower air speeds and their engines are not at full thrust, they are closer to the ground for a long duration and that may seem noiser," he said.
Balmer said Queen Creek has tried to set aside as much of the area as possible for manufacturing and related uses.
Sexton said noise complaints declined 38 percent this year compared with the number of complaints filed from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31, 2010, while the number of airport flights, most of them general aviation and military, dropped by 2 percent.
No comments:
Post a Comment