Draft EIR includes plan to move LAX north runway closer to Westchester/Playa
The Specific Plan Amendment Study (SPAS) draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for Los Angeles International Airport was released July 27, to the apprehension of many Westchester and Playa del Rey residents concerned about plans to relocate the northern runway further into the residential and business areas. Even after years of lawsuits, public meetings with local residents opposing movement of the northern runway further north, and a study finding no safety reason to reconfigure the north airfield, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials are still citing safety concerns and potential incursions as a reason to possibly move the northernmost runway closer to the Westchester/Playa del Rey business and residential communities. LAWA officials haven’t announced which of nine alternative proposals they prefer. One such option would move the runway 350 feet into Westchester/Playa. Other alternatives vary in the number of feet the runway would be relocated, with one proposing moving the runway to the south. The SPAS involves the identification and evaluation of potential alternative designs, technologies and configurations for the LAX Master Plan Program that would provide solutions to the problems that so-called “yellow light projects” were designed to address. The SPAS process also includes identification of potential amendments to the LAX Specific Plan that call for the modernization and improvement of LAX in a manner that is designed for a practical capacity of 78.9 million annual passengers while enhancing...
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