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HomeMy WebLinkAbout18 - John Wayne Airport General Aviation Improvement Program Draft EIR - LettersMayor Diane Brooks Dixon Mayor Pro Tem Will O'Neill Council Members Brad Avery Joy Brenner Marshall "Duffy' Duffield Jeff Herdman Kevin Muldoon CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 949 644-3004 1949 644-3039 FAX newportbeachca.gov March 25, 2019 Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, Chair Orange County Board of Supervisors 10 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Re: Thank you Dear Supervisor Bartlett, Thank you for meeting with Council Members Jeff Herdman and Kevin Muldoon, City Manager Grace Leung, our consultant Lou Penrose, and me on February 25 and allowing us to share Newport Beach's current efforts and concerns related to John Wayne Airport (JWA). On behalf of my colleagues, I extend our sincere appreciation for your time and enabling us to hear, firsthand, your thoughts about the airport. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope our meeting can lead to continued, open dialogue about the airport's operations and potentially other county -city matters. As we shared during the meeting, the City of Newport Beach (City) has increasing concerns about the information presented in the proposed JWA General Aviation Improvement Project (GAIP) Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). We understand that the County of Orange (County) has a need to bring JWA's general aviation facilities up to current FAA standards. But, after thoroughly reviewing the environmental document, we believe the proposed project would go far beyond that. The GAIP would expand commercial operations into areas of the airport now occupied by the lighter and quieter general aviation aircraft. These changes would result in more general aviation jet traffic to and from the airport, further increasing the adverse noise and air quality impacts. These impacts, coupled with safety, security and other issues, are troubling to the City and many of our residents. Letter to Supervisor Lisa Bartlett March 25, 2019 Page 2 History proves that the Board of Supervisors accomplished what no other city or county in the nation has by putting protections in place that help to mitigate the impacts of the airport's operations on the communities surrounding JWA. The City of Newport Beach fully understands that those vital protections wouldn't be possible without the County's leadership and cooperation. Thus, we look to the County once again for its assistance in protecting our community from bearing additional impacts related to the airport's operations. Thank you and I do hope we meet again soon. Sincerely, Diane Brooks Dixon Mayor CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 949 644-3004 1 949 644-3039 FAX newportbeachca.gov Chairwoman Bartlett and Members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors: After extensive review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for John Wayne Airport's proposed General Aviation Improvement Project (OAIP) the Newport Beach City Council unanimously voted to endorse Alternative #3 pursuant to the GAIP DEIR. The City of Newport Beach (City) understands the need for updating John Wayne Airport's current general aviation facilities to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards and it endorsed such action with its support of Alternative #3. However, the GAIP, as currently structured, goes well beyond that. As presented in the DEIR, it would introduce commercial operations into the normal sphere of influence of general aviation (GA) and encourage international travel as well as commercial operations at privately operated, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs). While the GAIP speaks of modernization, the City's residents instead see the burden of more GA jet operations, diminished air quality, additional noise, and flights operating at all hours. Equally important, any actions concerning the GAIP must take into account safety, security and accountability for and to all, not just the select few passengers partaking in GA jet travel. Pending further environmental review, the City believes Alternative #3 is the least impactful for the Newport Beach community. It allows for the updating of airport's GA facilities to current FAA standards, would not expand general aviation facilities at the FBOs, nor would it significantly alter the airport's current mix of GA aircraft that are based at the airport. It would also result in the least amount of GA jet operations by the year 2026. March 25, 2019 Mayor Diane Brooks Dixon Mayor Pro Tem Lisa A. Bartlett, Chairwoman Will O'Neill Council Members Orange County Board of Supervisors Brad Avery 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd. Joy Brenner Santa Ana, CA 92701 Marshall "Duffy' Duffield Jeff Herdman Kevin Muldoon RE: John Wayne Airport General Aviation Improvement Project Chairwoman Bartlett and Members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors: After extensive review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for John Wayne Airport's proposed General Aviation Improvement Project (OAIP) the Newport Beach City Council unanimously voted to endorse Alternative #3 pursuant to the GAIP DEIR. The City of Newport Beach (City) understands the need for updating John Wayne Airport's current general aviation facilities to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards and it endorsed such action with its support of Alternative #3. However, the GAIP, as currently structured, goes well beyond that. As presented in the DEIR, it would introduce commercial operations into the normal sphere of influence of general aviation (GA) and encourage international travel as well as commercial operations at privately operated, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs). While the GAIP speaks of modernization, the City's residents instead see the burden of more GA jet operations, diminished air quality, additional noise, and flights operating at all hours. Equally important, any actions concerning the GAIP must take into account safety, security and accountability for and to all, not just the select few passengers partaking in GA jet travel. Pending further environmental review, the City believes Alternative #3 is the least impactful for the Newport Beach community. It allows for the updating of airport's GA facilities to current FAA standards, would not expand general aviation facilities at the FBOs, nor would it significantly alter the airport's current mix of GA aircraft that are based at the airport. It would also result in the least amount of GA jet operations by the year 2026. Letter to Lisa A. Bartlett March 25, 2019 Page 2 The County of Orange has achieved what no other jurisdiction in the nation has been able to do by putting protections in place and managing JWA in a manner that helps to mitigate the airport's operations on the surrounding communities. Any proposal that seeks to limit the County's involvement, by shifting certain responsibilities to private companies operating at the airport, must be resisted. Airport security, as the Board has recognized in the past, is of utmost importance. Security for international travel should be processed in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal along with the processing of all commercial passengers where it has, until recently, historically taken place. As current national and international events have demonstrated, safety and security shall always remain of utmost importance. On behalf of the Newport Beach City Council, I respectfully request that the Board of Supervisors adopts Alternative #3. Should any member of the Board or their representatives wish to discuss the matter in more detail, offer further explanation of the GAIP, or assurances of the County's actions, the City would be happy to meet at your convenience. Thank you for your anticipated professional courtesy and cooperation. Sincerely, " h Diane Brooks Dix tn Mayor CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 949 644-3004 1949 644-3039 FAX newportbeachca.gov March 14, 2019 Mayor Diane Brooks Dixon Mayor Pro Tem Will O'Neill Supervisor Michelle Steel Council Members Orange County Board of Supervisors Brad Avery 10 Civic Center Plaza Joy Brenner Santa Ana, CA 92701 Marshall "Duffy" Duffield Jeff Herdman Kevin Muldoon Re: April 6 Town Hall and the JWA General Aviation Improvement Project Dear Supervisor Steel, I want to thank you again for meeting with Council Members Jeff Herdman and Kevin Muldoon, City Manager Grace Leung, our consultant Lou Penrose, and me in January and allowing us to share Newport Beach's current efforts and concerns related to John Wayne Airport. Your attentive ear, willingness to share your insights, and your support for Newport Beach meant a great deal to all of us. We committed to keeping you informed of our efforts and to that end, we have been scheduling meetings with your colleagues on the Board of Supervisors. We are sharing with them, as we shared with you, the goals that the City of Newport Beach and our local citizen - led advocacy groups our working toward. Those include: • Preserve and protect the 1985 JWA Settlement Agreement. • Identify and work with the air carriers to implement the quietest, safest and least -polluting departure procedure possible out of John Wayne Airport. • Advocate policies that incentivize air carrier fleet transition to newer, quieter aircraft. • Monitor federal legislative efforts such as the recent FAA Reauthorization Bill • Aggressively oppose any proposal or plan that could lead to development of a second air carrier runway or runway extension and any plan or proposal that could lead to any modification of the existing curfew. • Support the existing level of general aviation operations and the current level of general aviation support facilities at JWA, while conforming the existing general aviation facilities to FAA standards. Letter to Supervisor Michelle Steel March 14, 2019 Page 2 That last point has become particularly salient to our community as we understand the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the JWA General Aviation Improvement Project will soon be before the Board of Supervisors. This will be the "big topic" for the April 6 Town Hall as many of our residents want to learn more about the proposed project. Please do let me know what the City can do to assist you and your staff with the meeting planning. We will be sure to keep you updated on our progress and look forward to future opportunities to meet with you and discuss how the City and County can continue to work together. We respect and appreciate your leadership and our long-term relationship with the Board of Supervisors and County staff. Sincerely, r Diane Brooks Dixon Mayor