City Plans to Soundproof 1,000 Homes Near Airport

The city plans to begin soundproofing as many as 1,000 homes near Van Nuys Airport next summer, countering criticism that millions of dollars have been spent on noise relief around LAX but nothing for neighbors of the smaller airfield.

Residents in the flight path of Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the country, complain that not a dime has been spent to soundproof their homes and that proposals to reduce noise through curfews and caps on jet flights have stalled.

No money has been spent, despite the fact that Mayor Richard Riordan first proposed a soundproofing program for Van Nuys three years ago and a study of noise problems at the airfield has been in the works for about 10 years.

In contrast, critics say, the city has spent $12 million in the last two years to soundproof residences near Los Angeles International Airport, where 300 homes have been retrofitted so far in Westchester and Playa del Rey. A total of 8,600 other homes are to be soundproofed in those and other nearby areas.

“All of the attention and resources [for noise reduction] have been focused on LAX,” said Ellen Bagelman, president of the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Assn., whose Van Nuys home is inside the high-noise contour around Van Nuys Airport. “Meanwhile, Van Nuys Airport has been allowed to grow at an unbridled rate. The noise has become intolerable.”

Critics say Van Nuys Airport is growing without controls because the city has not yet adopted a master plan for the facility. At Los Angeles International Airport, however, a master plan has been drafted that calls for a major expansion of the facility.

Gerald Silver, president of Stop The Noise!, said soundproofing has started near LAX because Riordan and the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners need the support of Westchester and Playa del Rey residents to get approval for the expansion.

“There has been zero effort at mitigation, much less abatement of noise at Van Nuys Airport,” Silver said. “It’s extremely unfair.”

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, whose district includes residents affected by the airport, said she is frustrated that the city in 1987 began and has yet to complete a study of the problem.

“It’s ridiculous. It’s unconscionable,” Miscikowski said, blaming the airport commission for “inattention” to the problem.

Airport officials acknowledge that it has taken too long to address the noise issue at Van Nuys but said some of the delays were caused by factors outside their control.

Jack Driscoll, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Airports, said he is hopeful that efforts to address noise problems at Van Nuys will get back on track and that soundproofing of Valley homes can begin this summer.

“We are currently mapping the noise impact areas at Van Nuys,” Driscoll said. “I would think that some time this summer we should be prepared to let contracts and start work.”

Airport officials plan to model the Van Nuys program after the LAX soundproofing effort, which is in its second year.

At an average of $15,000 per home, the total to retrofit all eligible homes around Van Nuys Airport could surpass $15 million, officials said.

To receive federal funding, the city must complete a report that identifies the number of homes affected by high noise levels and projects the number of homes that will be affected by increased air traffic over the next five years.

According to a preliminary report, 1,032 homes affected by high noise levels averaging 65 decibels would be eligible for soundproofing. That number could be reduced based on noise mitigation programs, including a proposed phase-out of older, noisier jets and construction of a “hush house” where jets can be tested without bothering neighbors, officials said.

The study begun a decade ago has been plagued by internal and external disagreements over the scope of the problem.

The Federal Aviation Administration rejected as unrealistic an early plan estimate that jet traffic would increase 100% between 1992 and 1997, a prediction that turned out to be double the actual growth.

Further delays followed many neighbors’ rejection of mitigation measures that many believed did not go far enough.

Other delays occurred when community activists who said they were not sufficiently represented on the steering committee filed a legal challenge claiming the city was not enforcing existing flight rules.

Then came a shake-up of the airport commission by Riordan.

Given past problems, residents are skeptical of Driscoll’s promise to launch a soundproofing program this summer. Others contend that soundproofing alone does not solve the problem.

“You could end up being a prisoner of your home,” Bagelman said. “What happens if you want to go outside in the backyard? Soundproofing doesn’t help then.”

Also needed are stricter curfews, including a ban on late-night and early-morning helicopter flights and a phase-out of older, noisier jets, neighbors said.

Bagelman also questioned requiring homeowners to sign a waiver promising not to sue the city over noise before soundproofing is carried out. That waiver has also been required around LAX.

Driscoll said the city plans to buy a house in Van Nuys, soundproof it and offer tours to residents. Included would be installing windows with double panes, solid-core doors, acoustical glass in sliding glass doors and insulation in the walls and attic. The cost of soundproofing ranges from $15,000-$20,000 for a single-family home to about $12,000 for each apartment unit.

“We measured, and it reduces noise by about 50%. It’s significant,” said city spokeswoman Nancy Niles. “If everything is closed up, it makes a tremendous difference.”