Now that the Federal Aviation Administration has backed down on its proposed SoCal Metroplex project to tighten the eastern route south of Point Loma, which some believe would have brought more flyovers, noise and pollution to the Peninsula, does that settle the matter?
Yes and no, says Casey Schnoor, point person for opposition to the FAA’s SoCal Metroplex proposal, floated more than a year ago. That proposal sought to improve the efficiency of airspace in Southern California by saving fuel in optimizing aircraft arrival and departure procedures at more than 20 regional airports, including San Diego International.
“Replacing the LOWMA waypoint (latitude-longitude navigational guide) with a new waypoint 1.8 miles south of LOWMA is a very significant victory for San Diego’s treasured assets on the Point and for residents on the Peninsula,” said Schnoor. “We prevailed on our goal of ‘LOWMA or better,’ (meaning) Peninsula flyovers will not increase by 45,000 flights per year,” he said.
Does that mean the controversy is over? No, insists Schnoor.
“There are numerous and material flaws in the environmental assessment (EA),” he said. “This decision will have no impact on improving our day-to-day experience, and will only create new opportunities for air traffic controllers to create exceptions and allow flights to turn over the Peninsula.”
Explaining the FAA’s recent decision affecting San Diego on the SoCal Metroplex project was Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the FAA’s Pacific Division.
“We worked hard to balance the need to modernize, with being responsive to concerns we heard from Southern California communities,” Gregor said. “We made a number of changes to proposed Metroplex routes in response to public comments and feedback we received.”
Gregor noted one of those FAA changes involved adding a waypoint to San Diego departures to keep planes south of Point Loma as much as possible.
“While we will use this procedure as much as possible, it’s important to note that the FAA will sometimes continue vectoring planes across Point Loma for safety and efficiency purposes,” Gregor conceded.
A draft EA for the proposed Southern California Metroplex project was released on June 10, 2015 and the public comment period on it ended in October 2015.
On Oct. 4, 2015, a “riled” crowd of about 1,000 Peninsulans turned out at a special meeting at Liberty Station to protest the SoCal Metroplex project. Residents questioned the federal department’s integrity, claiming proposed flight changes outlined in the proposed project’s draft environmental document were already in place.
Many Peninsulans had said they’d wanted the FAA to consider retaining the LOWMA waypoint, which for more than 20 years has limited aircraft flying over Point Loma.
Schnoor noted, “Community efforts to effect day-to-day change (at San Diego Airport) continue and will be pursued with help from the new seat on the Airport Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) now filled by Fleetridge resident Melissa Hernholm Danzo, and new Mission Beach representative Debbie Watkins.”
Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52), whose district includes the Peninsula, hailed the FAA’s announcement to keep the current Point Loma flight paths as “a great example of what we can achieve when we work together to address the concerns of San Diego’s community.
“Thanks to the local leaders and elected officials who joined me in this effort to reduce airplane noise, many of the potential effects anticipated by residents will be prevented.”
Peters said the planning process behind the SoCal Metroplex project “has shown an unsettling lack of transparency in the FAA. “So, I will continue to improve its relationship with our community. San Diegans should feel like their government is listening to them and (this) announcement is a step forward in restoring that trust,” said Peters.
For now at least, Schnoor said, keeping, and actually improving upon, flight protocols with the waypoints has “stopped what could have evolved into a huge nightmare.”
But, Schnoor added, “This doesn’t mean we have nothing to worry about in terms of the day-to-day operations of the airport. “Essentially, what we’ve accomplished is the FAA has acknowledged the community’s concerns. We now have a better understanding of how to avoid a significant increase in flyovers of the Peninsula.”
Noting the FAA has consented to the creation of a public “watchdog” subcommittee that air traffic controllers will sit on, Schnoor concluded, “We’ll be able to ask the questions now we’ve been trying to get answers to for a year.”