Airport land use plan updated after 28 years
After nearly 30 years, the Board of Supervisors approved an update to the Humboldt County airport land use plan on Tuesday.
“This was last done in 1993 and obviously a lot of things have changed with our airports but also with our neighbors surrounding each airport,” said Humboldt County Aviation Director Cody Roggatz. “This is updating these documents for our planning efforts to make sure that we’re being good neighbors as the airports and vice versa and utilizing the land surrounding our airports in a proper way to keep everybody safe.”
In 2017, Caltrans informed Humboldt County Public Works that the county was selected for a $250,000 grant to update the Airports Land Use Compatibility Plan, according to the staff report.
“The grant would provide $250,000 in funding together with a local match of $27,778 for a total budget of $277,778,” the report stated.
The City of Eureka and Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District each will contribute $5,209 of the county match, lowering the county’s responsibility to $17,360.
The 1993 Airports Land Use Compatibility Plan included the Humboldt County airport in McKinleyville as well as the smaller airports in Dinsmore, Hoopa (now maintained by the Hoopa Valley Tribe), Garberville, Kneeland, Murray Field in Eureka, Rohnerville and the Shelter Cove (now maintained by the Resort Improvement District) but did not include Samoa Field (maintained by the city of Eureka).
The county reached out to Eureka, the Hoopa Tribe and the Resort Improvement District to see if there was interest in participating in the update of the plan because their airports
are not maintained by the county. All but the Hoopa Tribe opted in, meaning the 1993 plan will remain in effect for the tribe.
The updated plan also establishes an influence area for Samoa Field.
Chris Jones, principal associate with Environmental Services Associates, which helped prepare the updated document, explained potential impacts to neighboring properties addressed in the updated plan.
“We focused on the potential displacement of residential dwelling units and areas of nonresidential development and the analysis really compared land uses currently allowed under applicable zoning for study parcels to the compatibility criteria that are included in the draft (Airports Land Use Compatibility Plan),” Jones said, adding that he evaluated more than 7,000 parcels in total.
“We’re in a position, I don’t think we can actually take any residential units out,” said 1st District Supervisor Rex Bohn. “I get the lower-priced or more affordable housing tends to be in the noise zones of an airport and I just don’t want any of those to come out of inventory if at all possible.”
Jones told Bohn only a single residence near the Garberville airport faced displacement due to noise.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone thanked Jones and Roggatz for working hand in hand with the McKinleyville community to address their concerns surrounding displacement.
“I appreciate the extra effort you made in the analysis to make sure that that was going to be OK,” Madrone said. “I worry about those folks that aren’t paying attention and may have a change in their parcel and didn’t really get a direct notice and someday they’re going to figure it out.”
Voting as the Airports Land Use Commission, the board unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to accept the updated plan in a 4-0 vote. Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson was absent.
The county, Eureka and Fortuna now have 180 days to ensure that their general plans are consistent with the adopted 2021 Airports Land Use Compatibility Plan.