HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8753INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8753
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 21, 2006
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x SUBJECT: AIRPORT NOISE AND LAND USE
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The purpose of this report is to provide the City Council with information pertaining to noise and land use
compatibility in areas adjacent to the City of Fort Worth airports and the Naval Air Station -Joint Reserve
Base (NAS JRB Fort Worth), in advance of the March 28 pre - Council briefing.
The City's Comprehensive Plan contains policies that encourage commercial and industrial uses, but
discourage residential uses, adjacent to airports. Attachment A depicts the 65+ DNL noise exposure
contours and future land use designations around Fort Worth's three municipal airports and NAS JRB Fort
Worth. Alliance and Meacham Airports and NAS JRB Fort Worth are designated as industrial growth
centers; Spinks Airport is designated as light industrial.
In order to maintain eligibility for federal funding of capital improvements at the three municipal airports,
the City is required to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Grant Assurances, which
stipulate that the City as the "airport sponsor" must establish ordinances to control the land use around the
airport in order to protect the airport's future viability and to ensure compatible development. The
Department of Aviation receives federal funds to complete FAA Part 150 Noise Studies for all three
airports. The Noise Studies are comprised of noise exposure maps and a land use plan for the airport.
Once the data is collected from the FAA Part 150 Study, staff uses this information to establish Height and
Hazard Ordinances that protect the airport from encroachment. In some cases an Airport Development
Zone is created to overlay the noise exposure maps and expand the footprint associated with the noise
contours, which helps to further protect the airport from encroachment.
Alliance Airport has both a Height and Hazard Ordinance and Airport Development Zone to protect the
airport from encroachment. Staff is in the midst of completing an updated FAA Part 150 Study for Alliance,
the results of which will be presented to the City Council in the summer of 2006. The previous FAA Part
150 Study was completed in 1994. Since the Airport's inception, staff has been diligent in ensuring that
incompatible land use around Alliance has been mitigated. Meacham Airport had an FAA Part 150 Study
completed in 1994 and is in the final phase of the completion of a Noise Mitigation Program as a result of
that study. The Mitigation Program included the acquisition of over 52 acres of property previously zoned
residential and identified as an incompatible land use. Spinks Airport had a FAA Part 150 Study completed
in 1995 and staff is in the process of bringing forward a proposed Height and Hazard Ordinance and
Airport Development Zone to be presented to the City Council in the near future.
Although the procedures for protecting a Military Air Installation from encroachment are similar to that of a
federally funded public use airport, the approach is uniquely different. In regards to NAS JRB Fort Worth,
the Navy completed an Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) Study in 2002. Much like the FAA
Part 150 Study, the AICUZ Study includes the development of both noise exposure maps and a land use
plan. The primary difference is that the Navy does not have the ability to establish ordinances to ensure
the compatible land use around the air installation. That effort must be accomplished through the
involvement of the surrounding communities. To accomplish that, the Navy, through the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA), offers a grant for the completion of a
Joint Land Use Study (JLUS).
City staff has been working with NAS JRB Fort Worth to facilitate the completion of a Joint Land Use
Study and has attended several meetings where representatives from the following cities or organizations
were represented: City of Fort Worth, City of Lake Worth, City of River Oaks, City of Sansom Park, City of
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Westover Hills, City of Westworth Village, City of White Settlement, North Central Texas Council of
Governments, and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.
City staff has identified parcels around NAS JRB Fort Worth, within the noise contours, that are
undeveloped and zoned for residential use, as depicted in Attachment B. Staff will identify ways to
address this potentially incompatible zoning during the Joint Land Use Study. Noise complaints from
current or future residents would likely place unwanted attention on NAS JRB Fort Worth during future
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) processes conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The next steps towards completing the JLUS are to identify a sponsor who will solicit and manage the
grant from OEA, select a consultant, and then complete the study. Staff anticipates that it will take
approximately six months to complete the study.
Should you have any questions about the airport noise studies and Joint Land Use Study, please contact
Mike Feeley, Aviation Director, at 817-871-5403. Should you have any questions about land use and
zoning around the airports, please contact Fernando Costa, Planning, Director, at 817-392-8042,
Charles R. Boswell
City Manager
Attachments
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
ATTACHMENT A
AIRPORT NOISE CONTOURS AND FUTURE LAND USE
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Spinks Airport
Sources: 2006 Comprehensive Plan and Aviation Department.
Meacham Airport
NAS Fort Worth - JRB
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ATTACHMENT B
UNDEVELOPED RESIDENTIAL PARCELS
WITHIN THE NAS JRB FORT WORTH NOISE CONTOURS
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Undeveloped Acreage Zoned Residential
City of Fort Worth Parkland
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Lake Worth
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Approximately 554 parcels (865 acres) within the 65+ DNL noise contours are currently
undeveloped and zoned for residential use. This only includes property within the City of
Fort Worth and excludes public open space and NAS JRB port North property.
Sources: Tarrant Appraisal District and Development Department.