| Airport
Noise Meetings
This is a summary of the Economic Impact study that was presented at
the June 2000 meeting of the airport subcommittee of the Board of Supervisors
The combined economic impact of Buchanan and Byron airports is estimated
as being $70.1 million per year, of that, $63.1 million is attributed to
Buchanan. These figures include direct spending impacts, plus indirect
and induced impacts. The portion of Table V-8 of the report pertaining
to Buchanan is reproduced below:
Estimated Economic Impacts of Buchanan Field for 1999:
Economic Segment Direct Impact
Total Impact (Direct+indirect+induced)
Airport Businesses $15,176,000
$19,958,000
Primary User Visitors $20,885,000 $37,268,000
Business Visitors
and Students......... . $2,005,000
$3,619,000
Property taxes
$496,000 $983,000
Construction
$700,000 $1,332,000
TOTAL.................. $39,262,000
$63,160,000
As can be seen above, the category with the largest impact is Primary
User Visitors, who are people who fly in on general aviation aircraft.
This segment was not surveyed by the consultant, and was based on estimated
figures provided by airport management and the airport's last economic
impact study. The consultant was given a figure of 60,135 arriving
"itinerant operations" for 1999, and made the following assumptions:
1. of the 60,135 arriving itinerant operations, 2/3-rds were assumed
to be non-local arrivals (An arriving itinerant operation is generated
when a pilot enters the tower's control area from a location outside of
the tower's control area and lands at buchanan. A departing itinerant
operation is generated when a pilot takes off from buchanan and exits
the tower's control area. Two itinerant operation are generated
by a local pilot when he/she flies to another airport and returns since
all other airports are outside of the tower's control area. Since
the 2/3-rds figure is greater than 50%, this assumption implies that Buchanan
is a net attractor of planes from other airports, and that pilots from
all other airports, as a collective group, visit Buchanan at a rate which
is 33% higher than the rate at which Buchanan pilots visit
other airports.
2. The average length of stay of a non-local, arriving itinerant plane
at Buchanan was assumed to be 2.21 days and 2.21 nights.
3. the average occupancy was assumed to be 2.55 persons, and
4. 46% of these arrivals were assumed to represent people who
would not have visited Contra Costa if it were not for Buchanan.
As we pointed out to the consultant and the Supervisors, these assumptions
would have 242 visiting planes parked per night at Buchanan. Since
Buchanan only has space for 65 overnight visiting planes, it seems impossible
for there to be 242 visiting planes staying overnight at Buchanan.
In addition, since January of this year, we have videotaped 50 of the plane
parking spots every night at 2 am, and have found an average of approximately
5 per night in January through mid
April, and approximately 15 per night from mid-April to the present.
(We cannot fully videotape 15 of the visiting locations at one FBO whose
apron is not fully visible from the off-airport premises.)
Accordingly, it appears to us that the $37 million impact of these primary
airport users may be grossly incorrect, perhaps by as much as 80%, or $30
million.
The consultant has responded to this by suggesting that a large number
of charter planes drop off passengers and leave (so as to not take up parking
space), and then return 2.21 days later to pick upt he passengers.
However, since charters typically charge $1,500 to $5,000 per hour of flight
time and $300 to $500 per overnight stay, it would be cheaper for a charter
passenger to keep the plane on the ground overnight for 2 nights rather
than making the charter plane leave and return two days later.
The impact of potential commercial air carrier service was estimated
by the consultant at $55.8 million for a level of 27 arriving flights and
27 departing flights per day, 365 days per year. One of the startup
airlines has proposed a level of 6 arriving flights and 6 departing flights
for the 5 week days, and 4 weekend flights. This would correspond
to an average of 4.57 departures and 4.57 arrivals, on average, for every
day of the year, and a corresponding economic impact of $9.29 million
per year. From a 1999 Income survey conducted by BART, we estimate
that the average income of a BART patron at the North Concord, Concord,
and Pleasant Hill BART stations to be $40,000 per year. 232 BART
patrons, and thus 232 BART parking spaces, provide the same economic impact
of $9.29 million per year.
The consultant estimated the total impact of BOTH airports with growth
(and no commercial service) as being $115.1 million. The report DID
NOT provide a table which separated out the contribution to this figure
by Buchanan. The assumption for the growth scenario for Buchanan
was that based aircraft increased from 580 to 850 (aircraft at Buchanan
peaked at 650 in the early 80's), and that arriving itinerant visitors
increase by 40%. For Byron, it is assumed that based planes increase
from 120 to 380 (212%), and that arriving itinerant visitors increase 5.15
times (or 415%) to 49,760. Operations this year at Buchanan, in a
booming economy, are down 6.45% over last year.
With growth and commercial air carrier service, the TOTAL economic impact
of BOTH airports was estimated to be $171 million. Today's Contra
Costa Times article was incorrect in stating that this $171 million would
be generated by Buchanan alone. Unfortunately, the economic impact
report does not state this figure separately. If the report did include
it, we would estimate Buchanan's contribution at $130 million for the scenario
of growth plus commercial air carrier service. However, we emphasize
that it appears that the consultant has a gross error in counting "Primary
Airport Users" which may cause this number to be off by as much as $40
million Buchanan does not have space to house 242 planes overnight, let
along space for an additional 40% (339).
Finally, the consultant stated that property values of 600 homes around
the airport are only depressed by 3% due to airport operations. In
essence, the consultant stated that property value is depreciated at a
rate of 1.33% per added decibel of averaged noise caused by aircraft (i.e.,
a DNL decibel) above the average ambient noise level. The consultant
used 55 dB DNL as the average ambient noise level, whereas other studies
have used 45 dB DNL. I have measured ambient noise levels at my home,
which is among the 600 homes, and have found an average ambient noise level
of around 45 dB to 48 dB DNL in the center of my backyard. I suspect
that I could obtain a reading of 55 dB DNL if I made the measurement in
my front yard at the edge of the street, where passing cars can generate
noise spikes of 70 to 75 dBA. (By the way, my noise meter is a precision
instrument, costing $280, and is accurate to within 1 dBA).
The supervisors have asked the consultant to look at the questions that
we and others have raised, and to prepare corrections, if necessary.
It has been our experience in dealing with other issues that consultants
are hesitant to make corrections to their reports.
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BACKGOUND - In May 1999, Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier sponsored a board
order to review a broad range of issues at the airport, and in particular
noise issues and potential actions that the county could take to address
them. This board order was passed before the credible possibility
of air carrier service arose. The review of possible air carrier
service was added to the tasks of the airport subcommittee by a November
16-th board order. One component of the May 1999 board order was
to perform an economic impact study the County's two airports (Buchanan
and Byron). The consultant for this task, Economic Research Associates
(ERA), has been selected, and this meeting will finalize the items ("scope
of work") that this consultant will look at. The consultant will
at least look at the conventional impacts of the airport (direct, indirect,
and induced economic impacts). It has been suggested that the consultant
look at various negative impacts of the airport, such as real-estate devaluation
and how that affects revenue to the County general fund, and to look at
various additional positive impacts of the airport, such as convenience
and value to local businesses.
_____________________________________________________________________
Supervisors Mark
DeSaulnier and Joe Canciamilla attended to August 17-th meeting of the
Aviation Advisory Committee (AAC). While this meeting was initially
scheduled for the Commission to receive clarification from the Supervisors
regarding the AAC's role in the board order (being the point on the review
of leases), the AAC undertook a review of all 6 substantive points of the
May 4, 1999 board order. The meeting ran longer than normal, near
3 hrs.
During this meeting, it came to light that the airport
(under a previous administration) had dropped the practice of notifying
pilots when their operations generated a noise complaint. This process
was instituted in the late 1980's to give pilots feedback so they could
improve their noise-mitigation techniques (e.g., flying certain patterns,
reach certain altitudes before turning, and reducing propeller speed over
noise sensitive areas). Current airport management stated that the
airport does not have the staffing to reinstitute the program. (We
note that airport management does spend hundreds of hours each year hosting
the Concord Chamber of Commerce's annual air show).
The aviation community expressed concerns about the economic
impact study, and whether the intent of the study was to justify closure
of the airport. Supervisor DeSaulnier stated that such studies are
regularly done for other county departments, and that this study was intended
to help the board to better manage the airport. This subject came
up again in the August 25 Airport sub-committee meeting. There, Hal
Yeager of People Over Planes, noted that such economic studies have been
traditionally used to justify airport expansion plans. We note that
it is extremely difficult, and nearly impossible, to close an airport unless
the airport is not being used. At over 220,000 operations per year,
Buchanan is far from being under used.
If airport noise is an important issue to you, you should
consider attending these meeting and/or sending a letter to Supervisor
Mark DeSaulnier expressing your concerns, thoughts, and ideas on the matter.
His address is 2425 Bisso Lane, Suite 110, Concord, CA 94523. |
