Friday, December 3, 2004
Airport board approves controversial land use plan
By David Bunker
The Truckee (CA) Sierra Sun
The Truckee Tahoe Airport land use plan was finally adopted Thursday in a short meeting that elicited no public comment. The Foothill Airport Land Use Commission unanimously approved the environmental analysis and the plan that had elicited controversy from pilots, homeowners and pilots for more than a year.
The plan will now be revised by staff to include the additions made over the course of the process. The final document will then go to Nevada and Placer Counties and the Town of Truckee so that they can change any planning documents that do not comply with the plan.
The Truckee Tahoe Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan governs land use surrounding the airport to ensure safety.
The laborious process that led up to adoption was caused by conflicts between planning restrictions proposed in the draft and pivotal plans by the town and the seven public agencies that provide services to the region.
Almost all of these conflicts were resolved through amendments to the plan and specific exceptions for the town, hospital, school district and department of parks and recreation.
Some homeowners that live near the airport have repeatedly noted that these exceptions may allow development that is too close to the airport, and therefor unsafe.
The airport staff will now begin compiling the final airport land use plan, which will be available from the Foothill Airport Land Use Commission at a later date.
