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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Airport Zoning Commission - 04/28/2021 CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI 1201 Leopard Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401 cctexas.com REGULAR MEETING MINUTES AIRPORT ZONING COMMISSION (PLANNING COMMISSION) Wednesday, April 28, 2021 Via WebEx Video Conference I. CALL TO ORDER - ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order and a quorum was established with Commissioner Salazar-Garza absent II. PUBLIC COMMENT: For the record, Andrew Dimas, Development Services, informed the Commission that no written public comment forms were submitted for any of the items on the agenda. III. APPROVAL OF ABSENCES – January 20, 2021: Commissioner Dibble A motion to approve the absence listed above was made by Commissioner Zarghouni and seconded by Commissioner Schroeder. The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OF AIRPORT ZONING COMMISSION (AZC) MINUTES 1. AZC Regular Meeting Minutes – January 20, 2021 A motion to approve item “1” was made by Commissioner York and seconded by Commissioner Schroeder. The motion passed. V. Briefing – Air Installation Compatibility Use Zone (AICUZ) Study Ben Polak, Community Planning/Liaison Officer of the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC) and Ex-Officio for Planning Commission, presented item “XV” for the record as shown above. The NOLF Cabaniss is a 971-acre training airfield used for visual flight rules (VFR) touch-and-go practice/pilot training operations at NASCC and has two Class A runways. The NOLF Waldron is an 851-acre training airfield used for VFR touch-and- go practice/pilot training operations at NASCC and has two Class A runways The Study includes the Naval Outlying Landing Fields (NOLF) of Cabaniss and NOLF Waldron. He stated the goals of the AICUZ Program, according to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST 11010.36C), are to: 1) Protect the health, safety, and welfare of civilians and military personnel by encouraging land use that is compatible with aircraft operations. 2) Reduce noise impacts caused by aircraft operations, while meeting operational, training, and flight safety requirements on and in the vicinity of air installations. 3) Inform the public and seek cooperative efforts to minimize noise and aircraft accident potential impacts by promoting compatible development; and 4) Protect Navy and United States Marine Corps installation investments by safeguarding the installation’s operational capabilities. To satisfy these purposes, the Navy works with the local communities to foster compatible development around the airfield while still supporting the Navy’s mission. An AICUZ Study presents analysis of community development trends, land use tools, and mission requirements to recommend strategies for communities to prevent incompatible development. Although land use activities outside the airfield can impact Navy operations, the use and development of the surrounding properties are under the jurisdiction of the local governments. Mr. Polak informed the Commission that this study is the formal update to the 2009 AICUZ study. This study will include planned noise contours and Accident Potential Zones (APZ); the projected future operations through 2030. It also addresses planned changes in mission and aircraft and prospective operational levels. Next, Mr. Polak explained how noise exposure is measured. Noise exposure from aircraft at NOLFs Cabaniss and Waldron is measured using the day-night average sound level (DNL) noise metric. The DNL is an average of cumulative noise exposure produced by individual events that occur over 24 hours. For land use planning purposes, the AICUZ Program divides noise exposure into three categories, known as “noise zones,” based on DNL measurements. Mr. Polak then went into the Noise Contour information for both NOLF Cabaniss and Waldron. Noise contours align with the runways and follow the dominate flight tracks for arrivals, departures, and closed patterns at the airfield; noise propagates outward from those paths. There is minimal noise exposure from NOLF Cabaniss; noise contours do not extend outside the boundaries of the airfield. The total area within the 2020 AICUZ noise contours all fall within Noise Zone 1 (<65 decibels (dB) DNL) and totals approximately 15 acres. Residential use is discouraged in DNL 65-69 and measures to achieve outdoor to indoor Noise Level Reduction (NLR) of at least 25 dB in DNL 65-69 should be incorporated into building codes. For NOLF Waldron, 2020 AICUZ noise contours extend off installation, including Noise Zone 1 and Noise Zone 2. Areas within Noise Zone 3 are contained on installation. Off- station land uses impacted by Noise Zone 1 are mostly vacant, agriculture, estate residential, and low-density residential. Future uses include residential use and open space. Off-station land areas within Noise Zone 2 are mostly vacant areas, with small areas of residential. Residential use is compatible with conditions. Noise Level Reduction (NLR) measures should be implemented. The United States Department of Defense (DOD) identifies APZ as areas where an aircraft accident is most likely to occur if an accident were to take place. Accident Potential Zones do not reflect the probability of an accident. The AICUZ Program identifies three APZs: Clear Zone, APZ I, and APZ II. To protect public health, safety, and welfare, land use should be compatible with airfield noise zones, APZs, and flight safety criteria. He presented maps of the AICUZ footprints for both NOLF Cabaniss and Waldron. For NOLF Cabaniss, Mr. Polak stated that while the majority of land within the Runway 36 Clear Zone would remain undeveloped as floodplain conservation, per the Draft London Area Development Plan’s future land use map, portions of the area within the Clear Zone could be developed with either commercial uses or medium-density residential uses, both of which are incompatible. For NOLF Waldron, land uses within APZ I are predominantly vacant, agriculture, and residential (estate and low-density). APZ II mostly includes agriculture, vacant, and estate residential uses. Areas identified as incompatible are mostly residential uses with limited public/semi-public and commercial uses. Low-density residential is incompatible within the Clear Zone and APZ I and is compatible with conditions in APZ II. Lastly, Mr. Polak emphasized implementation and how government entities, businesses, and citizens, along with the Navy, all play key roles in successfully implementing the AICUZ land use compatibility recommendations. The Navy will continue to implement an AICUZ Program for the air installation and associated outlying landing fields; continue to attend public meetings/provide comments on actions that affect AICUZ planning for NASCC (this includes continuing to send a member to represent the base on the Corpus Christi Planning Commission); continue to participate in the ongoing Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) implementation efforts. Community leadership roles include implementing regulations and programs that control development to ensure land use activity is compatible with range operations; preserving land use compatibility through the adoption and implementation of appropriate control measures; encourage private citizens to identify AICUZ considerations in all property transactions After the presentation, Chairman Baugh opened the floor for Commissioner comments/questions. Commissioner Dibble asked how Staff evaluates proposed development when it is determined to be in an APZ. Staff clarified the AICUZ does not change any underlying zoning districts; much like the Future Land Use map, it is a guide that is used for Staff recommendations brought to the Commission and then for their recommendation to City Council. Mr. Dimas stated the City can initiate a comprehensive rezoning to help update existing zoning layers for incompatible areas which has been done in the past. As usual, this process would be presented to the Commission for a recommendation to Council. He said the last major comprehensive rezoning effort took place in the Flour Bluff area (near Skipper Lane/Valerie Street) with a change to the “RS- 15” district, reducing density due to the large amount of vacant lots. In this kind of effort, public notification to property owners would occur by statute. Commissioner Schroeder raised concern for areas adjacent to the AICUZ but not within the boundary. He said these areas are high risk, especially closer to a runway; finds it challenging for Commissioners to make recommendations for these areas considering the pressure for affordable development. Discussion also took place regarding Staff recommendations for past developments/rezoning cases that were in the AICUZ, e.g. Carroll High School. Mr. Polak stated there were developments that occurred before the rigorous implementation of the AICUZ program which included support from the City through the JLUS to protect areas near an APZ. He described the AICUZ overlay as a flight pattern (not a “highway in the sky”) in which student aviators may fly outside of these boundaries causing the footprint to expand. These flight tracks are not portrayed as an APZ when the planes enter in and out of the airfields. He said it is tough to dissolve risks when flying above overpopulated areas, but efforts are involved to try to mitigate as much risk as possible. As factors evolve, it is difficult to determine future unknown challenges. Hypothetically speaking, if the current AICUZ map was available in 2009 then development around these airfields would have changed drastically. No action was taken on this item. V. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: None. VI. ITEMS TO BE SCHEDULED: None. VII. ADJOURNMENT OF AIRPORT ZONING COMMISSION MEETING There being no further business to discuss, Chairman Baugh adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m.