Flyaway
Expansion Van Nuys Airport
Submitted by Charles Brink as his personal comment at the 8-10-00 meeting
I am concerned that the community has no access whatsoever to review the proposed Flyaway expansion. There has been no outreach about the meeting and no story about this meeting in a search of the LA Times and Daily News databases.
A search of your VNY website http://www.airports.ci.la.ca.us/vny/welcome.htm has no data on the proposed Flyaway expansion and the main site. http://www.airports.ci.la.ca.us/welcome.htm also has no data about the proposed Flyaway expansion. The Websites are PR machines and have no information about proposed Flyaway expansion and this public meeting. [Note a pdf file was added to VNY site after 5pm on the day of the meeting. We have loaded a commented version on this site.]
At the last CAC meeting this meeting was described as ... "a chance for the residents to make comments". The meeting notice calls it a "briefing". In discussion with a LAWA planner he states, "We intend not to do any environmental studies" (EIR). LAWA intends to certify this project as having absolutely no effect on the community. That claim allows all environmental affects of this massive, expensive enlargement and traffic increase to be ignored and handled by a "negative declaration".
With the continued apparent refusal to give the public any information and their claim of no effects, it seems to be just another LAWA cover-up planned in secret. The $700,000 design contract was awarded on 3-3-00 and now it is a little late to first take public input.
The worst thing is that the idea of the flyaway is a GOOD idea, but LAWA destroys everything by their total failure to involve the public either good or bad projects. With LAWA planning 64 million passengers in 2000 as much parking as possible needs to be built to serve the public. Funds must be available as LAWA just spent $112 Million on a sign (LAX in 35 foot letters), landscaping and columns "depicting an aircraft taking off". None of this outrageous expense helped a single passenger get to the airport faster or lessened traffic at LAX.
LAWA considers the community to be the "mushroom community"; LAWA has purposely kept the community in the dark and fed us bio-solids! The community will not tolerate this sort of action, and while LAWA may think you can ride roughshod over us, in the long run you will lose. LAWA should post the agendas, meeting minutes, and all documents about the project and VNY by placing them on your website to make them available to the general public.
If you decline to post it on your website, I will be happy to post it on my website, http://www.vannoise.org if you would provide copies, preferably in electronic form.
1. Expand the Flyaway area to include a 2 level parking structure on the west side of Woodley. This area is now used store new cars for Galpin Ford.
2. Add an Auto/Pedestrian bridge over Woodley to connect the west lot to the main lot. Have only central entrance and exit for cars.
3. Add a signal for cars and busses on Woodley.
4. Close all entrances on Saticoy and install an 8’ landscaped wall as a noise and access restriction to protect residents.
5. Prohibit Bus traffic on Saticoy.
6. Prohibit all lighting where the point source is visible outside the property.
7. Have a drop off lane where passengers can be dropped at the curb without parking the car.
8. Have a loaction inside the paid parking area where luggage can be dropped off and the car then parked.
9. Require 95% that bus trips be clean fueled buses. Allow diesel buses only in an emergency and then limit them to no more than 5% of the total yearly trips.
10. Include a design for a rail/guideway transit system to connect the Flyaway to LAX when an enlightened city raises from the ashes of a failed Los Angeles.
11. Add connecting buses from the Ventura and Antelope Valley Metro rail stations either directly to LAX or a shuttle to the VNY Flyaway.