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Airport Land Use Compatibility

 GIS Data Naval Air Station North Island

 

As part of its core mission, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority protects the safety and welfare of the general public by serving as the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for San Diego County. 

By adopting Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) per state law, the Authority as the ALUC provides guidance on compatible land uses around regional airports to local permitting agencies to incorporate into their land use decisions.  The ALUCPs help protect the public against the noise and risks of airport proximity and establish standards for disclosure of airport proximity and aircraft overflight to residential properties.

ALUCPs concurrently protect aircraft in flight by adhering to FAA standards for obstructions and hazards to navigable airspace.  Through these protections, ALUCPs help maintain the nation’s air transportation infrastructure from encroachment by incompatible land uses that could restrict their operations. Protecting airport operations is also an economic benefit to the region to help preserve jobs and industries that are supported, directly and indirectly, by airport operations.

Please contact ALUC staff at 619-400-2464 or ALUCapp@san.org if you have questions about or need further information on the Authority’s ALUC role.


WHAT IS THE ALUC?
The ALUC is the governing body designated by state law to produce ALUCPs in accordance with State transportation agency and statutory guidance through a collaborative, community outreach process. Since it was created to operate San Diego International Airport by act of the California Legislature in 2003, the Board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has also been the ALUC for San Diego County. Prior to that time, the ALUC function was handled by SANDAG, the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional transportation planning agency.
WHAT IS IN AN ALUCP?

An ALUCP is based upon guidance in the California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook published by the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics. Each ALUCP designates an Airport Influence Area (AIA) whose geographic extent is based upon the length and orientation of airport runways and the directional flows, operating hours, and fleet mix of aircraft using the airport. Within the AIA are land areas of compatibility based on noise, safety, airspace, and overflight factors defined by Handbook and FAA standards.

DOES EVERY AIRPORT HAVE AN ALUCP?

All 16 public-use and military airports within San Diego County have adopted ALUCPs.  Private airports and helipads are not subject to the State mandate for ALUCPs.

WHAT DOES AN ALUCP DO AND NOT DO?

An ALUCP establishes policies and standards of noise, safety, and airspace compatibility for the appropriateness of land uses in the vicinity of the 12 public-use and four military airports in San Diego County. ALUCPs only apply to land outside airport boundaries and do not govern aircraft in flight or airport ground operations, master planning, or potential expansion. 

HOW DOES THE ALUCP PROCESS WORK?

The ALUC has no permit authority of its own, but state law mandates the referral of local agency land use projects, plans, and regulations to the ALUC to determine their consistency with the adopted ALUCP. A local agency includes any city, the unincorporated county, school district, community college district, or special district (such as utility or maintenance district) that has land use permitting authority. The local agency then incorporates that determination and any conditions into the project design, plan, or regulations.

DO LOCAL AGENCIES HAVE TO FOLLOW THE ALUCP?

By state law, once an ALUCP is adopted, affected local agencies must modify, as applicable, their general/master plan and zoning code to be consistent with the ALUCP. Alternatively, the local agency may refer all land use projects, plans, and regulations to the ALUC for a consistency determination of each action. The local agency may instead choose to overrule the ALUCP entirely or in part, as well as any individual ALUC determination of consistency, by a two-thirds vote of its governing body (such as a city council or school board) if it makes certain statutory findings and notices them within a specified timeline.

HOW DOES THE ALUCP IMPACT LANDOWNERS AROUND THE AIRPORT?

ALUCPs do not apply to existing land uses. Even if existing uses do not meet ALUCP compatibility criteria, they may continue to exist so long as they remain the same and are not intensified. ALUCPs only apply to newly proposed development or redevelopment of property within the AIA.

WHEN DID THE ALUCP REQUIREMENT COME INTO BEING?

The California Legislature mandated that each county create an ALUC with the authority to adopt ALUCPs in 1970. SANDAG was the original ALUC for San Diego County, and it adopted ALUCPs for certain airports during its tenure as the ALUC. With advances in technology, changes in airport operations and fleets, and revised guidance from Caltrans, ALUCPs are amended and replaced.

WHAT IS THE AICUZ?

The Air Installations Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) study is a document prepared by the Department of Defense for military airfields. It establishes standards of compatibility for land uses based upon noise exposure contours and accident potential safety zones. By state law, the ALUCP for a military airport must be consistent with the noise and safety compatibility standards established by the AICUZ, so the ALUC must revise an applicable ALUCP when a new AICUZ is released.


Preliminary Project Review

Development sponsors seeking to design projects to comply with an ALUCP are advised to use the ALUCP Mapping Tool to identify applicable compatibility factors.  ALUC staff can further advise on due diligence planning for a prospective project site by sending an email to ALUCapp@san.org with the Assessor Parcel Number(s) (APNs) and proposed development details (e.g., type of land use(s), number of dwelling units or nonresidential building area, etc.). There is no requirement or fee to consult ALUC staff prior to submitting a project to a local agency.  Any information provided by ALUC staff regarding applicability of ALUCPs to prospective development is advisory and does not constitute an application for determination of consistency with an ALUCP.

Land use projects, plans, and regulations requiring a determination of consistency with an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan must be submitted to the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) by an Application for Determination of Consistency from the local agency having permit authority.

ALUC staff will advise the submitting agency if the application is incomplete and, upon confirmed receipt of a complete application, issue a preliminary determination of consistency with the applicable ALUCP(s).  These findings will be reported to the ALUC at its next available public meeting to finalize the consistency determination, assuming no cause is found to contradict ALUC staff findings. 

Applications must be submitted BEFORE decision-making consideration for final permitting by the local agency, and should a project change in area, height, or land use after ALUC review, it must be re-submitted to the ALUC for a new consistency determination before final agency action.

FAA Form 7460-1

In addition to filing a Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration (FAA Form 7460-1) for a proposed structure, a separate Form FAA 7460-1 must be filed if a crane is required for construction. A copy of the FAA Determination(s) of No Hazard to Air Navigation issued in response to the Form 7460-1 filing(s) must be submitted to the ALUC along with the Application for Determination of Consistency. The ALUC and its staff cannot act on an application without the FAA determination(s).

San Diego International Airport Avigation Easements

Please consult the appropriate municipal or county airport operator for avigation easements for other airports

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