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affected areas to more appropriate uses. This could also spur
<br />economic development for the surrounding communities. The
<br />airport operator can play the lead role in coordinating the
<br />interested parties' diverse demands.
<br />
<br /> What's News
<br /> From litigation by municipalities asserting their right to zone
<br /> land within their jurisdictions without interference to new
<br /> technological attempts to mitigate airport noise, land-use
<br /> planning around airports is changing constantly. The Airport
<br /> Noise Report, published by Anne H. Kohut, is "a biweekly
<br /> update on litigation, regulations, and technological
<br /> developments." It provides a continuous, comprehensive
<br /> summary of current events and issues in airport planning. Many
<br /> of the following items have been .summarized from its articles.
<br /> In City of Cleveland v. City of Brook Park, a federal district
<br />court found that federal law does not preempt Brook Park,
<br />Ohio, from using its zoning powers to control airport growth.
<br />Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is operated by and
<br />primarily located in Cleveland, but part extends into Brook
<br />Park, which requires a conditional use permit or immunity from
<br />its zoning ordinances before airport expansion can take place.
<br />The airport is nearing capacity, and Cleveland would like to
<br />expand it by extending an existing runway, and building a new
<br />one to accommodate increased flights. The U.S. Court of
<br />Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reviewing the case. If Brook
<br />Park's zoning authority is upheld, airports across the nation may
<br />find themselves subject to zoning ordinances seeking to limit
<br />their expansion.
<br /> Shrinking noise contours. Many communities near airports
<br />prohibit certain land uses within high-level noise contours,
<br />which are expected to shrink dramatically as airlines convert
<br />their flee~s to Stage 3 aircraft. Once this happens, many
<br />communities will be quick to rezone land to allow development
<br />closer to airports. Although this seems like a good opportunity,
<br />many airport operators believe noise contour lines will expand
<br />again as air traffic increases. Therefore, they want nearby
<br />municipalities to hold the line on development to provide a
<br />generous buffer between development and the airport. At this
<br />point, operators have no way to enforce their request other than
<br />to educate the surrounding municipalities and work with them
<br />on long-range airport area planning.
<br /> New airports. One way to alleviate many complaints is to
<br />build a new airport farther away from existing development.
<br />Last year, Denver opened Denver International Airport (DIA),
<br />the largest in the nation, 12 miles to the northeast of its former
<br />airport. DIA sits on the open plains with a minimum of nearby
<br />development. DIA's large size and remote location have reduced
<br />the number of people affected by airport noise, but Denver is
<br />finding that escaping the problem is not so easy. Former city
<br />attorney Steven Kaplan says noise was a driving factor in
<br />motivating Denver to build a new airport and was one of its
<br />most studied aspects. But DIAls noise has irritated a whole new'
<br />group of people in Adams County, Boulder, and the mountains.
<br /> The Metropolitan Airport Commission of Minneapolis-St.
<br />Paul has decided simply to improve its existing airport rather
<br />than spend the money to build a new one. Its study found that a
<br />new airport would provide no additional economic benefits.
<br />The commission has decided that noise is not enough of an
<br />issue to spend the money needed for a new airport.
<br /> Accelerated fleet transitiot~. Although the FAA has
<br />established a Stage 2 aircraft phaseout schedule, several airports
<br />are adopting accelerated fleet transition rules. The airlines are
<br />
<br />fighting this trend on grounds they are already phasing out
<br />aircraft as fast as they financially can. If too many cities adopt
<br />accelerated schedules, airlines may be forced to concentrate their
<br />noisier aircraft in the few that do not.
<br /> New flight pattemis. Many airports have experimented with
<br />new flight patterns that would direct flights over less populated
<br />areas. These efforts must be balanced with safety issues (rugged
<br />terrain or strong cross-winds), but they have achieved nominal
<br />success. In many cases, airports may construct new runways to
<br />redirect traffic. This does not make everyone happy.
<br />Albuquerque International Airport recently extended one
<br />runway so that it may close irs main runway for repairs, then
<br />close another permanently. Far fewer people will be affected
<br />once the project is completed, but a previously unaffected group
<br />in the South Valley area is waging a legal battle to block the
<br />plan even though it may be better for the region as a whole.
<br />
<br /> Airport Noise Regulations, PAS Report 43Z American
<br /> Planning Association, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Chi-
<br /> cago, IL 60603; 312-431-9100, fax 312-431-9985.
<br /> Airport Noise Report, 43978 Urbancresr Ct., Ashburn,
<br /> VA 22011; 703-729-4867, fax 703-729-4528.
<br /> Anne H. Kohut, publisher.
<br /> CUder & Stanfield, 700 Fourteenth St. NW,
<br /> Washington, DC 20005; 202-624-8400.
<br /> Federal Aviation Administration, Public Inquiry
<br /> Center, Publications, 800 Independence Ave. sW,
<br /> Washington; DC 20591; 202-267-3485
<br /> Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc., 429 Marrett
<br /> ...... Ra:;' Lexin'g~°~, MA 02173i 617-8632i4011 ..........
<br /> institute of Transportation Studies, University of
<br /> ; California Extension, Dept. B, 2223 Fulton St.,
<br /> Berkeley, CA 94720; 510-642-4111.
<br /> Land Use Law & Zoning Digest, Am~rican Planning .
<br /> ASsociation (see above). ' r '
<br /> McKenney, Kristi, "Effective Airport Environs
<br /> ~. Planning in the 1990s,' in ]nternationalAir
<br /> ~ ' Transportation: A New InternationalAirport, edited
<br /> ~. by l~obert E. Boyer, published bY American Society
<br /> of Civil Engineers, New York, 1992, pp. 25-31.
<br /> Natio~qal Aviation & Transportation Center,
<br /> ' Dowling College, Oakdale, NY 11769; 516-2447
<br /> ~ '3000. . '~ .
<br /> Walder, Ray. "Control of land use near airports is' .
<br /> best means of reducing impact of aircraft noise,"
<br /> ICAO Journal(Vol. 48, No. 1, January/Febn4. ary
<br /> 1993), pp. 8-I 1.
<br /> Wyle Laboratories, Arlingt°~/, Virginia. Ben' Sharp,
<br /> Director of Research; 800-783-1538.
<br />
<br /> Curfews. Many airports have instigated curfews. The airport
<br />either closes completely between certain hours or limits the
<br />types of aircraft that can fly at night. This reduces noise
<br />irritations to the surrounding community but limits the airport
<br />in taking advahtage of one of the fastest-growing markets, cargo
<br />shipment. Cargo is shipped mostly at night. As airport budgets
<br />are squeezed, accommodating cargo shippers is one way to
<br />produce revenues during an otherwise quiet time.
<br />Buyouts. A key tool to reduce noise/land-use conflicts is
<br />simply to buy our nearby property owners. Most airport plans
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