The Southern San Fernando Valley Airplane Noise Task Force has voted to send 15 recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to address months of complaints from residents about increased airplane noise and flight concentrations from both the Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys airports, it was announced Friday.
After two days of final deliberation, the recommendations approved Thursday included increasing climb rates for departing flights and routing planes away from neighborhoods at higher elevations in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The recommendations also include nighttime curfews at both airports, greater dispersal of flights throughout the San Fernando Valley and a recommendation for a noise level study focused on departing flights, according to Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, a member of the task force.
Task force members include local officials from Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.
"This has been a very long and complex process for the residents of the San Fernando Valley,'' Koretz said. "The residents of the Santa Monica Mountains, in particular, have endured frequent extremely loud, low-flying airplanes disrupting their lives and that of neighboring wildlife.
"I believe that the work we have done together will bring forward solutions that benefit everyone impacted by Southern California air traffic."
Koretz represents the Fifth District, which includes Encino in the South Valley and several hillside neighborhoods under the flight paths.
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"This task force must not disband," Koretz said. "We should continue to work together so that we can evaluate any follow up from the FAA and work with our representatives in Congress to further improve the lives of those impacted by this intrusive airplane noise."
The task force was formed in August as a response to the increased air noise and environmental effects due to the implementation of the FAA's new NextGen Metroplex program, which transitioned the majority of the airports' flights over South San Fernando Valley neighborhoods.
"This marks a significant step forward in reducing noise and bringing relief to the Valley neighborhoods that have been inundated with flight traffic," said Councilman David Ryu, who is also a member of the task force.
Ryu represents the Fourth District, which includes the Hollywood Hills and portions of the Southwest San Fernando Valley.
"No one neighborhood should be subject to the constant noise and air pollution of an endless caravan of flights,'' Ryu said. "Especially now, with airline passengers virtually nonexistent, empty planes shouldn't be flying over people stuck in their homes."
An FAA official told City News Service it will "carefully evaluate all of the recommendations that the task force submits to us."
The FAA had representatives at each of the task force meetings, according to the official, who spoke on condition of not being identified.
The task force was created and hosted by Hollywood Burbank Airport and Los Angeles World Airports, which manages Van Nuys Airport, and has been holding regular public meetings since its formation.
The task force is particularly focused on addressing the implementation of NextGen by the FAA, which he said was conducted without extensive community outreach or environmental analysis, Koretz said.
Neighborhoods in communities including Encino, Bel Air, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Valley Village are experiencing more and lower flights than ever, Koretz said.
