About 100 San Fernando Valley residents packed into Van Nuys City Hall Tuesday night to voice their concerns about noise and pollution from the Van Nuys Airport.
“I just left my home with a screaming jet,” one woman commented.
Another resident complained about “waking up in the middle of the night and tasting the jet fuel.”
The presentation before the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council was in response to a “vision study” by Los Angeles World Airports, the first step in a multi-year process of planning the airport’s future.
Sue Steinberg, who has lived near the airport since 1986, was involved in planning the community vision. She highlighted the disconnect between the airport’s current operations and the needs of the local community.
“Van Nuys could be something to be proud of,” Steinberg said. “Not just a convenient location for the privileged 1% clientele who have nothing invested in the community, who look at Van Nuys as an easy place to take off and land, while those of us who live here pay the price.”
In addition to noise and pollution, residents are concerned about safety. The meeting comes just a month after a single-engine plane crashed at the airport, leaving two occupants dead. Another plane crashed on the runway in March, injuring the pilot.
The community's vision for the airport includes green space on the east and west sides of the property, which could serve as buffers, and also lower temperatures in the immediate area.
Van Nuys Airport manager Paul Herrera acknowledged an increase in jet operations at the airport, which has drawn the ire of neighbors.
“As we heard tonight, the jet engine has gotten quieter, but we have seen an increase in jet operations,” he said. “The sight, sound, and smell of the airport is very detrimental to those that live next to the airport.”
He also noted that the airport has over $2 billion of economic impact on the San Fernando Valley.
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