California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook – California Division of Aeronautics

Mead & Hunt staff completed a comprehensive updating of the previous edition of the Airport Land Use Planning Handbook, which we wrote in 1993 for the California Division of Aeronautics.  Ken Brody was the project manager and primary author for both the 1993 and 2002 editions.

An update to the previous edition of the Handbook was needed in response to changes in California state laws governing airport land use commissions (ALUCs).  The new law requires ALUCs to “be guided by” information in the Handbook.  The 2002 edition provides more definitive guidelines than were included in the 1993 edition.

The Handbook provides guidance regarding establishment of noise and safety criteria for land use development in the vicinity of airports and heliports.  It also provides information applicable to assessment of the compatibility of proposed new airports or heliports relative to their existing environs.

The project involved a complete rewriting of the 1993 Handbook plus addition of new material regarding aircraft accident risk and other topics.  Digital files in .pdf format were provided to the client for posting on the Division of Aeronautics web site.