ALUC adopts six land use plans for county airports

SAN DIEGO — On December 4 the Airport Land Use Commission adopted the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) for six of the region’s 16 airports, specifically Agua Caliente, Borrego Valley, Fallbrook, Jacumba, Ocotillo and Ramona. Each of these airports is owned and operated by the County of San Diego.

These six plans are the first to be adopted since state law mandated the Airport Authority Board to serve as the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for San Diego County. The role of the ALUC is to protect public health, safety and welfare by ensuring orderly development of airports and adoption of land use measures that minimize public exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards near airports, to the extent these areas are not already devoted to incompatible uses. ALUCPs contain planning guidance for local property owners, jurisdictions and building professionals as to what kind of development is appropriate around the perimeter of an airport. Specific criteria have been developed to address airport impacts such as safety, airspace protection, noise and overflight.

These compatibility criteria have been developed with the help of an ALUCP Technical Advisory Group comprised of a broad base of more than 50 stakeholders using the California Department of Transportation Airport Land Use Planning Handbook. ALUCPs, once adopted by the ALUC, are implemented by local jurisdictions, which must incorporate their provisions within their general plans.

In January the Airport Land Use Commission will determine which of the remaining 10 airport ALUCPs will be prepared next.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority was established by state law in 2003 to operate San Diego International Airport and to address the region’s long-term air transportation needs. The Airport Authority is governed by a nine-member appointed board representing all areas of the county.