KaiserAir’s proposed move to Livermore Airport unlikely to go forward

At least one of the ongoing debates surrounding the Livermore Municipal Airport may be put to rest as officials announced recently that the proposed KaiserAir project is not likely to move forward.

“As folks are aware, KaiserAir did make an application to the airport to reserve a portion of the airport for a potential project and as of this point, KaiserAir has not submitted an application to move forward with that project,” Livermore City Manager Marc Roberts said of the project’s status.

“We have reached out several times over the last few months but it appears at this point that KaiserAir is not moving forward with what was originally their proposed project,” Roberts continued, adding:

“They’ve not made any of the required submittals. They’ve not completed any of the environmental work necessary. They’ve not taken any actions to move forward on a formal basis to move the project forward. Their reservation of the property will expire this summer and at this point, they’ve not taken any action that would allow them to perfect a project during that timeframe.”

The KaiserAir proposal was among a number of airport-related topics discussed in the Livermore-Pleasanton City Council Liaison Subcommittee’s meeting last month, along with recent noise study results, environmental concerns and increasing the frequency of subcommittee meetings.

The group includes Livermore Mayor Bob Woerner, Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown, Livermore City Councilmember Bob Carling and Pleasanton City Councilmember Julie Testa. The intention of the group is to address all issues of mutual concern between the two cities and is not specifically an airport liaison committee, according to Pleasanton Interim City Manager Brian Dolan.

At their most recent meeting on Feb. 25, the subcommittee heard reports from city staff all of which were concerning the airport.

Roberts’ KaiserAir status update followed about 30 minutes of public comment, most of which came from residents expressing their opposition to the project.

KaiserAir’s initial proposal was planned for a 45-acre vacant parcel north of West Jack London Boulevard and south of Taxiway Lima and included a “fixed based operator” (FBO) facility, offices, aircraft maintenance facilities, fuel farm, self-service aircraft fueling facility, corporate hangars, parking spaces and box t-hangars.

In his report, Roberts also briefly addressed the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ongoing plans to phase out the use of leaded aviation gas throughout the entire country by 2030.

Regarding noise issues, a number of residents expressed concerns during the meeting that the airport staff isn’t responsive enough to complaints and that there is a lack of follow up after the complaints are investigated.

“We do follow up on noise complaints and we investigate all complaints but of course — from what we’ve heard today — the feedback loop back to those who complain is something we can do better at, so I think that’s on our list of things for us to work further on,” Roberts said.

Roberts gave a brief overview of the results of noise monitoring studies from May and November of 2021. He noted that the monitoring is done twice at different times of the year to account for different landing patterns that are the result of weather changes that impact wind direction.

“To get a complete idea of the overall noise impacts around the airport we conduct the noise studies twice,” he said, adding that all of the monitoring locations in Livermore and Pleasanton met the noise threshold compatibility standards.

Roberts said the studies use the community noise equivalent level (CNEL), which refers to a weighted average of noise level over a period of time. He said that CNEL is the standard used locally and statewide.

Roberts also acknowledged that these averages are different from how people experience noise as most people are impacted by specific points of noise. However, he explained that CNEL regulations are used to determine levels of noise because those numbers reflect what is required by law.

According to Roberts, noise monitoring is one of several ongoing efforts that will continue and he said that the city is in the process of installing continuous noise monitoring equipment at the airport and acquiring new equipment that will allow for more detailed monitoring and flight tracking.

Pilot and tenant briefing and education will also continue along with providing community feedback to the pilots, suggesting flight patterns and operating procedures to minimize noise. He also said they are prioritizing working closely with their fixed based operator to maintain compliance.

“There is more work to be done and I look forward to working with the public as well as councilmembers Carling, Testa and Mayor Woerner in making this a reasonable and improved atmosphere for quality of life within Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin — those aren’t just words, we’re going to do it,” Brown said toward the end of the meeting.

The subcommittee did not specify when the next meeting will take place but further discussion regarding airport noise and communication improvements will also be on the next agenda, according to city staff.

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