Planning Commission, City of San Jose
801 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95110-1795
fax 408/277-3250
re: Proposed Expansion of San Jose International Airport
Dear Commissioners,
The planned expansion of the San Jose International Airport will have many impacts locally and on the region as a whole, both positive and negative. As Willow Glen is centrally located adjacent to the airport's flight path, we are more directly impacted than many areas. We recognize that the City needs to provide for the expanding regional transportational needs, but we also feel that the City should mitigate the impacts of that expansion upon the surrounding community.
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) Board appointed an Airport Expansion Committee to study the plans. Both the Committee and the Board recognized the following points to be the major concerns:
Given the proximity of San Jose International to populated areas, the maintenance of the existing curfew is essential. We are concerned that increasing the airport's capacity may increase pressure on the curfew due to the financial demands of the expansion. We also fear that an increased cargo facility could be so profitable to the city that it could be unwilling to regulate it and enforce the curfew. We understand the curfew is "voluntary" and unenforceable, much like the adopted flight paths. Given the city's poor record in enforcing voluntary compliance with flight paths, we are quite leery of supporting an expansion that may so adversely impact the existing curfew.
While not part of the DEIR, nonetheless flight paths do have an immense impact on the surrounding communities. They also serve as an indicator for the level of trust. Aircraft are supposed to come into the area wide and high, over the hills, and then align with Monterey Highway and descend over the commercial/industrial section of town. Lately, however, many aircraft have "cut corners" and have looped low and noisy over residential sections in Willow Glen. This past week, several early morning planes seemed to "buzz" the area, climbing in a spiral directly over densely populated central San Jose residential areas. The flight paths are defined by the FAA, and the control tower tells each individual pilot which path to fly: some cities have been more effective than others in telling pilots not to request short-cuts, and telling traffic controllers not to approve such requests.
We are unhappy with the noise analysis in the DEIR. A single number is used to give a yearly average noise impact. Planes take off towards the south roughly 15% of the time, generally in the winter, and towards the north the remaining 85% of the time. Many Willow Glen residents are disturbed by the southerly takeoffs, but the DEIR seems to say that since the summers are quiet, on average they are not impacted. Given the urban residential setting of San Jose's airport, a generous approach to noise abatement programs seems appropriate, such as including those existing residences within either the north-bound or south-bound takeoff sound contours. Yet we also recognize the high cost involved in sound-treating existing structures and the impact on landing fees and thus the traveling public. We urge the Planning Commission to adopt a fair and reasonable solution.
The DEIR makes it clear that, even with certain improvements to the traffic patterns around the airport, the impact on congestion will be unavoidable. We are particularly concerned since the City is reevaluating its "Transportation Level of Service Policy" in the airport/north San Jose area. We recommend that the airport construction be phased in coordination with the upgrading of Freeway 87-don't significantly increase airport traffic until the highway system can handle it. We would also like to see improved transit connections (including evenings and weekends) to the Light Rail system, for both the traveling public and for the airport employees.
We are troubled that apparently there are few controls set on airport pollution. We understand that large airports in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington are major polluters of their environments. San Jose has worked hard to achieve an acceptable standard of air quality, and the impact of potentially doubling air traffic in our skies must be carefully weighed in relation to the unique characteristics of our valley. When an airplanes take off from San Jose International, they are in close proximity to a densely populated area: there is no time or space for the pollutants to dissipate. We urge you to evaluate whatever measures that can be unilaterally adopted locally (e.g., vapor recovery on fueling trucks?) to mitigate this impact, and to help push for appropriate national pollution controls.
We in the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association recognize the efforts made by the Airport Commission, the Planning Department, and the City Council to develop a plan that reflects careful thought and consideration for its residents. We ask you seriously address our concerns when making the final decisions on the Airport Master Plan-a plan which will impact San Jose far into future.