An amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to allow for development in noisy areas (airport and eventually traffic) is being considered.
This began in earnest in July, 2020 when MWAA’s updated 2019 Noise
Contours were being considered by the Board of Supervisors (BOS).
Barbara Byron, staff, stated, “Who’s not to say that Elon Musk will
develop aircraft that use those batteries he’s developed, that we won’t
have noise at all,”* suggesting that her predictive analysis is superior
to the predictive analysis modeling tools the experts at MWAA have used
to develop their noise contours. Johnson Aviation, the consultant hired
by the county, stated that MWAA’s “noise analysis is well-documented and
consistent with FAA regulatory guidance.” But staff would prefer to use
a more short term prediction of 5–20 years as they do on other land
use issues, rather than the longer term 60-90 year modeling that MWAA
used. But isn’t it hypocritical to want to continue using the 30 year
contour maps for the next 20 years? And then what, adopt the 2019
contours after residences have already been built where they shouldn’t
have been?
With Dulles desiring to become more of a cargo hub by increasing their
heavy, cargo load craft (good luck to Elon on quieting those heavy
crafts - I can personally attest to how loud they are, especially at
night), the BOS decided that working with MWAA to determine
“preferential runways” when noise complaints occur, would be sufficient.
But if the BOS does not adopt the 2019 noise contours from MWAA, then
they will be allowing residential development in the flight paths, so
how can there possibly be any “preferential runways” to divert traffic
to?
In a recent meeting, Keith Meurlin, a long time member and current
president of the Washington Airports Task Force, wondered why the BOS
would want to start creating the same problems in the Sully district
that the Mt. Vernon district already has? He also strongly warned that
although United Airlines uses Dulles as a hub, if the public outcry
creates limitations to their operations, then they will move to another
airport.
The Board has chosen to ignore the experts and forge its own path by
refusing to adopt the 2019 contours. Why? We can trace it back to the
fact that some landowners in Land Unit J, south of the airport, with
undeveloped or semi-obsolete offices wanted to find another viable use
so that their land could be developed. In order for those noisy sites to
be eligible for residential, the Comprehensive Plan (which currently
does not allow new residential above 60DNL) and the zoning ordinance
(which forbids new residential over 65DNL) both had to be overcome.
Over a lot of objections, including citizens, the airport, the FAA, and
even the Planning Commission, Sully district Supervisor, Kathy Smith,
nevertheless urged passing of an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan so that 60-65DNL became eligible for new residential; several applications
materialized almost instantly (Stanley Martin/Stonebrook, Toll
Mid-Adlantic, etc).
By keeping the outdated noise contours, the current amendment is
designed to weaken the Comprehensive Plan noise standard and apply it
countywide, not just Land Unit J, so that a wave of new residential
applications could be approved, including some almost at the doorstep of
the airport, and directly beneath the flight paths, on very noisy sites,
by pretending they were still 60-65DNL. Although most of the affected
land, at least for now, is in the vicinity of Land Unit J, it could also
facilitate some similar site specific plan amendments to allow
redevelopment of other noisy sites (near major traffic arteries for
example) for new residential.
Tell the BOS, Staff, and the Planning Commission that the noise
amendment to the Comprehensive Plan is flawed and the 2019 MWAA Noise Contours should be adopted:
* DPDAirportNoisePA@fairfaxcounty.gov – Staff
* clerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov – BOS
* Plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov – Planning Commission
Important dates in 2022:
* PC Committee meetings February 10 and March10 at 7:30 PM (public
comment not allowed but letters received prior should be considered) -
streamed on Channel 16 for public viewing.
* Planning Commission (PC) Public Hearing: 5/18/2022
* BOS committee meeting March 15
* PC May 15
*BOS June 28
Cynthia Shang
Chantilly