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Chapter 8. LAND USE PLAN 59. General. The airport land use plan will show on -airport land uses as developed by the airport spon- sor under the master plan effort and off -airport land uses as developed by surrounding communities. The work of airport planners and community planners must be carefully coordinated. The configuration of airfield pavements and approach zones established in an airport layout plan provides the basis for develop- ment of the land use plan for areas on and adjacent to the airport. The land use plan for the airport and its environs in turn must be recognized as an integral part of an areawide comprehensive planning program. The location, size, and configuration of the airport needs to be coordinated with patterns of residential and other major land uses in the area as well as with other transportation facilities and public services. Within the comprehensive planning framework, air- port planning, policies, and programs should be co- ordinated with the objectives, policies, and programs for the area which the master plan airport is to serve. To the extent there is a choice, decisions on runway alignment and airport expansion and volume and type of use are as essential to improving and preventing environmental conflicts as are the control and guidance of surrounding development to render it more com- patible with the airport. 60. Noise. Incompatibility is the principal land use problem that airports and their neighboring com- munities share today. This problem is based primarily on the objection of people to aircraft noise that over- spills the boundaries of airports and interferes with sleep, speech, teaching, recreation, and other activities. Thus, noise from operations at airports becomes a neighborhood nuisance; and as its effects begin to be felt, communities begin to protest. A rational method for projecting the extent of air- craft noise has been available since 1962 when the concept of the CNR, or Composite Noise Rating, was adopted. Refinements to this approach have resulted from studies to develop the NEF, or Noise Exposure Forecast, concept. The basic difference between the two is that the NEF, in addition to utilizing all the data previously used in computing CNR's, also uses correction factors for discrete frequencies (tones) and noise duration. Although the CNR methodology has been widely used in the past, the FAA is transitioning to the use of the NEF and will produce all future noise contour maps utilizing this methodology. During this transition period it is expected that both CNR's and NEF's will be utilized outside the Federal Government; the latter, however, is preferable. 61. Land Uses on the Airport. The amount of acreage within the airport's boundaries will to some degree dictate the types of land uses to be found therein. For airports with limited acreage, most land uses will be aviation oriented. Large airports, how- ever, may find that they have considerable acreage which is excess to actual aviation needs. Sound fiscal management demands that these excess lands be utilized to provide the greatest possible financial re- turns. In fact, in many instances these extra monies mean the difference between a profit and a loss for the airport's operation. Considerable attention is being given these days to providing space on the airport for industrial users, especially those utilizing company aircraft or whose personnel travel extensively by air carrier or charter. Many times taxiway access is provided directly to the industry's door. In some instances, railroad tracks serving the industrial area, company parking lots, or low-level warehousing can be located directly under runway approaches (but free of clear zones). Care should be taken, however, to eliminate from consid- eration industries which might produce electronic dis- turbances which would interfere with aircraft naviga- tional or communications equipment or cause visibility problems due to smoke. Some commercial activities are suitable for locating within the airport's boun- daries. These should be evaluated on an individual basis. Recreational uses such as golf courses and picnicking areas are quite suitable for airport land uses and may in effect serve as good buffer areas. Certain agricultural uses are appropriate for airport lands but grain fields which attract birds should be avoided. Advisory Circular 150/5070-3, "Planning the Airport Industrial Park," offers guidance in de- 45