Airport Director Proposes Changes to Aviation and Zoning Ordinances
At the April 17, 2001, Board of Commissioners work session Airport Director Lee Remmel presented the commissioners with three proposed amendments to the county Ordinances. These amendments would set in place an Airport Compatible Use Overlay District (ACOD) that governs the use of property in an area deemed within the noise zones of the airport. These zones are represented on a Noise Contour Map. The map Mr. Remmel used in his presentation to the commissioners is a map created in 1996 by the consultant who did the Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study. It was designed to show the projected noise contours for 2001, if the airport did not complete the noise reduction recommendations made and approved by the FAA in the Part 150 Study.
As we currently understand it, the airport director is proposing changes to our zoning ordinance to restrict what property owners can do on their own property using a five-year-old map of dubious accuracy. Under this proposal the airport director would have the right to arbitrarily extend the noise zones as the airport grows and becomes noisier, restricting the rights of even more citizens without due process. Use of this map with an enlarged noise footprint, is an admission by Mr. Remmel that the noise has increased during the past five years. Why have the recommendations of the Part 150 Study to control noise not been implemented? Why does PDK not have a written noise reduction policy?
In proposing these changes, the airport director (our DeKalb County employee) appears to be working as an agent for the FAA. While he is responsive to FAA, he is not responsive to the requests of the community for an updated evaluation of the effectiveness of the PDK noise program as required by the Part 150 Study. Charles Feltus, Airport Advisory Board member, has repeatedly requested the status of this required evaluation.
Mr. Remmel chose to bypass the Airport Advisory Board taking his proposals directly to a Board of Commissioners work session. Thanks go to Commissioner Gale Walldorff who alerted the community to the item on the work session agenda. At that work session Commissioner Judy Yates asked Mr. Remmel to have the advisory board review the amendments. That should happen at the next Airport Advisory Board meeting on May 9. The commissioners also requested another work session on this item.
Mr. Remmel has agreed to make the map available at the airport. Please call the airport at 770-936-5440 for information.
We want the airport director to control the noise NOT restrict what we can do with our property.
Click here to read how some residents view the situation.