Airport Scales Back Long-Range Plans

After months of negotiating with local residents and pilots, airport officials have revised long-range plans for Camarillo Airport, drawing up a new blueprint that does away with several key provisions of the initial proposal.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will be asked to delete runway extension plans from the planning document, a provision that Camarillo residents and city officials opposed.

The new master plan also would direct airport administrators to leave some of the existing hangars in place and to pay for the relocation of others.

A proposal to construct a parallel runway also has been tabled, although airport planners have not fully rejected that idea. Rather, it will be studied as a separate issue from the 20-year airport master plan.

Airport officials said that the increasing number of landings and takeoffs at Camarillo Airport originally prompted the expansion of the facility.

But residents of Camarillo, along with the Camarillo City Council, have long opposed extending the existing runway or adding a new landing strip. They cite concerns about increased noise and safety problems associated with having more airplanes.

Supervisors on Tuesday will be asked to approve the revised airport master plan in concept, as well as direct airport officials to continue working with the community to address noise and safety concerns.