VAN NUYS : Single Master Plan Sought for Airport

If left to some nearby residents, Van Nuys Airport would be a very different place.

A prison would be built near the runways. Helicopters would be banned except in emergencies. And all aircraft would be grounded before 9 a.m. and after 8 p.m. so neighborhood children could get their sleep.

Such suggestions were among dozens offered Tuesday night to consultants with the Los Angeles Department of Airports, which is compiling a 20-year master plan for the 730-acre facility.

The department wants to create a single planning document for the airport, which now appears in various forms on the master plans of several surrounding areas.

“There is no Van Nuys Airport Master Plan,” explained Tom Stemnock, a land use consultant hired by the department. “There are just bits and pieces listed in four various community plans.”

Major portions of the airport property are committed to longstanding uses that aren’t expected to change, such as the runways and existing commercial areas, yet four parcels are essentially undefined. They encompass about 75 acres.

Officials wanted suggestions Tuesday on how to develop those properties, either with aviation or non-aviation uses.

Some of the 35 residents in attendance suggested various development projects, ranging from a business park to a California Conservation Corps office.

But most participants were more concerned about regulating the entire airport, especially to reduce the sounds of jets and helicopters.

“I’m here for the noise,” said one woman. “I don’t care what you do with (the parcels). For all I care, you could burn them.”

Residents suggested curfews, a cap on the decibel level of planes and requiring media groups to pool their use of helicopters. They also recommended fines for pilots who violate noise controls and either limiting helicopters to a minimum height of 1,000 feet or banning them altogether.

“There are children who go to bed at 8 p.m. and their sleep shouldn’t be disturbed,” a woman said.

One man suggested building a prison on the site, forcing inmates to endure the airport noise.

A few people thought the airport should be shut down altogether.

“As far as I’m concerned, this place has outlived its usefulness,” said one man. “Build an airport out at Palmdale. Let them take it.”

The master plan’s final draft is expected to be completed by July, 1996.