HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 8283
City of Palo Alto (ID # 8283)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 6/19/2017
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Policy and Services Committee Recommendation Regarding
Aircraft Noise
Title: Policy and Services Committee Recommendation to Reaffirm Palo
Alto’s Position to Reduce Aircraft Noise and Direction on Further Near-Term
Advocacy Steps, Including Sending a Letter From the Mayor to the United
States Department of Transportation and Other Federal Officials
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council reaffirm Palo Alto’s position to reduce aircraft noise through
approval of the attached letter from the Mayor to the United States Department of
Transportation, direct staff to obtain expert opinion on aircraft noise monitoring strategy, meet
with neighboring cities to establish a regional position on the issue of aircraft noise, and align
resources to be prepared to respond to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) response to
the reports of reports of the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals and San Francisco
International Airport (SFO)/Community Roundtable.
Background
On May 23, 2017 the Policy & Services Committee on the 3-0 vote with Vice Mayor Kniss absent
recommended the City Council:
A. Take into account the public comments made tonight and received in writing, and reaffirm
the City’s position to reduce aircraft noise over the skies of Palo Alto; and
B. Endorse and advocate a seat on the Select Committee's proposed Ad-Hoc Committee and
any new permanent entities whose actions will impact Palo Alto and communicate that
interest to Representative Eshoo; and
C. Obtain an expert opinion on aircraft noise monitoring strategy and make a recommendation
to Council; and
D. Reach out to neighboring communities such as Portola Valley, Woodside, Menlo Park,
Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and East Palo Alto to establish a regional position on
this issue; and
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E. Be prepared to respond to the FAA Select Committee Report in the form of legal or
professional representation; and
F. Emphasize as a priority a focus on minimizing noise, the equitable dispersion of noise and
improving technology and flight methods to minimize the noise in general; and
G. Recognize that on the ground noise matters, even if it is within the vicinity of an airport and
establish an objective standard for noise at certain elevations and flight methods; and
H. Ask FAA to consider emissions from aircraft
Discussion
The attached draft letter from the Mayor to the United States Department of Transportation
(DOT) addresses Policy & Services Committee recommendations A, B, F, G, and H. On May 17,
2017 Congressional Representatives Eshoo, Speier and Panetta issued a press release stating
that “we have been advised that the FAA will send their completed document to the DOT
within a month for final review and authorization. It is not known at this time how long the DOT
will take to authorize the release of the response; we will continue to follow-up and will release
the response as soon as we receive it.” The attached letter is timely, reaffirms the City’s
position and expresses the Committee’s direction regarding inadequate noise measurements
and health risks associated with aircraft emissions.
Prior to and during the Policy & Services Committee meeting, staff received and acknowledged
feedback from community members about the details of the Committee staff report. In order
to ensure a timely message to the DOT and to proceed with other Committee
recommendations, staff is not providing a summary or reconciliation of resident perspectives
relative to the staff report. Staff will address resident feedback in the coming months. The
Mayor’s letter does address the concerns of residents specifically with regards to inadequate
noise measurements and health risks associated with aircraft emissions.
Finally, by approving the staff report, Council will authorize staff to proceed with Committee
recommendations C, D and E.
Resources Impact
At this time staff is not requesting any additional funding. The City has existing contracts and
approved funding with Freytag & Associates (aviation consultants), Van Scoyoc & Associates
(federal legislative consultants) and the ability to hire additional technical or legal consultants
as needed. Staff resources from the City Manager’s Office, City Attorney’s Office and Public
Works Department Airport Division are currently allocated to this project.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Draft Letter from Mayor to DOT
Attachment B: May 23, 2017 Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
June 19, 2017
Secretary Elaine L. Chao
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington D.C. 20590
Subject: FAA response to reports of the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals and San
Francisco International Airport/Community Roundtable
Dear Secretary Chao,
On behalf of the Palo Alto City Council, I would like to recognize the hard work of FAA staff to
address aircraft noise over the skies of Palo Alto and Silicon Valley. This was evident by former
Western Regional Director Glen Martin’s commitment to the local Select Committee meetings.
Palo Alto is the Birthplace of Silicon Valley, the location for many of our nation’s top companies,
neighbor to Stanford University and home to approximately 66,000 residents. Palo Alto places a
high value on working with other communities to ensure the burdens of supporting Silicon
Valley’s role in the national and international is reasonably distributed. However, at this time
the impacts from aircraft noise are creating a disproportionate negative impact on the quality
of life for people that live and work in our city.
It is our understanding that in the coming weeks the FAA will submit their response to the
reports of the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals and San Francisco International Airport
(SFO)/Community Roundtable for Department of Transportation (DOT) review.
On several occasions the City has recommended that the FAA should:
1. Create more “points” for aircraft to use while entering SFO. There is currently one point
(MENLO waypoint) used for flights coming in from the north, west, or south. This point
centralizes all arrival aircraft and noise over Palo Alto.
2. Redirect flights arriving from the south to the east; away from the Pacific Ocean coast to the
hills west of Interstate 5 and have aircraft enter the Bay from the east.
3. Shift the flights arriving from the north away from the Peninsula to the Bay.
4. Encourage the divisions and staff within FAA to work in partnership with each other to
minimize noise through efficient organization of aircraft schedules and routes while also
utilizing arrival descents that limit speed brakes.
We sincerely hope the DOT takes these recommendations into account when reviewing the
FAA’s response. Additionally, we ask that the DOT and FAA:
1. Create a permanent forum or committee to address aircraft noise and the health risk
concerns of residents of cities not represented by the SFO Community Roundtable. Or
amend the SFO Community Roundtable structure to be inclusive of cities beyond San Mateo
County.
2. Adopt and apply supplemental metrics to recognize the limitations of Day-Night Average
Sound Level (DNL) in addressing the effects of air traffic management.
3. Change the current 3,000 feet upper threshold for emission testing to 5,000 feet and use
existing FAA resources and technology to conduct testing and modeling of Silicon Valley air
quality.
The Palo Alto City Council is committed to working with the FAA, SFO, San Jose International
Airport, neighboring cities, counties and all stakeholders to ensure a reasonable solution is
identified for Silicon Valley.
Sincerely,
Greg Scharff
Mayor
Cc: Dianne Feinstein, California Senator
Kamala D. Harris, California Senator
Anna G. Eshoo, Congresswoman California’s 18th Congressional District
Michael Huerta, Federal Aviation Administration, Administrator
Dennis Roberts, Federal Aviation Administration, Regional Administrator
Palo Alto City Council
James Keene, City Manager
Molly Stump, City Attorney
City of Palo Alto (ID # 8143)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 5/23/2017
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Airplane Noise Update
Title: Discuss the Topic of Aircraft Noise, Review Federal Legislative Updates
and Recommend that City Council Reaffirm City's Positions to Reduce Aircraft
Noise and Make Other Recommendations as Needed to Advance City’s Goals
to Reduce Aircraft Noise Over the Skies of Palo Alto.
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Summary
On November 17, 2016 the Report of the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals,
commissioned by congressional representatives Eshoo, Speier and Farr, along with San
Francisco Airport (SFO) Community Roundtable’s Response to the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Initiative were issued by the respective governing entities to the
aforementioned federal representatives. Both reports are attached and contain a series of
recommendations in response to citizens’ concerns about airplane noise. In March 2017 Mayor
Scharff, Vice Mayor Kniss, Councilmember Wolbach and Councilmember Fine met with FAA
officials during their attendance at the National League of Cities Annual Legislative meeting in
Washington, D.C.
On May 17, 2017 Congressional Representatives Eshoo, Speier, and Panetta issued a press
release which is attached. They stated that “We have been advised that the FAA will send their
completed document to the Department of Transportation (DOT) within a month for final
review and authorization. It is not known at this time how long the DOT will take to authorize
the release of the response; we will continue to follow-up and will release the response as soon
as we receive it.”
Attached is an update on current FAA federal legislative matters.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Policy & Services Committee recommend that the City Council
reaffirm the City’s positions to reduce aircraft noise over the skies of Palo Alto, seek a seat on
the Select Committee's proposed Ad-Hoc Committee and any new permanent entity created to
address aircraft noise, and have City Council confirm these recommendations before the
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summer 2017 recess, if possible. At that time, the Committee Report can also alert the Council
that a subsequent discussion before Council will be necessary once the City has received a
response to the reports from the FAA through Congress.
Secondarily staff recommends that the Committee discuss seeking membership in the SFO
Community Roundtable as well as partnering with SFO’s Noise Abatement Office to install
temporary noise monitors in Palo Alto and make the appropriate recommendations to City
Council.
Background
Palo Alto is impacted by three arrival routes into SFO. These routes arrive from the north, west
and south. The City has dedicated substantial staff time, hired noise and aviation consultants,
and engaged our federal legislative consultants to advocate for our goals and support
community engagement. On several occasions the City has recommended that the FAA should:
1. Create more “points” for aircraft to use while entering SFO. There is currently one point
(MENLO waypoint) used for flights coming in from the north, west, or south. This point
centralizes all arrival aircraft and noise over Palo Alto.
2. Redirect flights arriving from the south to the east; away from the Pacific Ocean coast to the
hills west of Interstate 5 and have aircraft enter the Bay from the east.
3. Shift the flights arriving from the north away from the Peninsula to the Bay.
4. Encourage the divisions and staff within FAA to work in partnership with each other to
minimize noise through efficient organization of aircraft schedules and routes while also
utilizing arrival descents that limit speed brakes.
These recommendations are reflected in City communications to the FAA, Select Committee
and Congresswoman Eshoo’s office. All documents, letters, and reports can be found on the
City’s website to this topic: www.cityofpaloalto.org/airplanenoise.
Analysis of Select Committee and SFO Roundtable Reports
The most significant problem raised by our citizens is noise. Airplane noise over Palo Alto is
generated due to the convergence of three arrival routes into SFO over one geographic three
dimensional point referred to as the MENLO waypoint. This waypoint is located near Willow
Road and Highway 101. It is this waypoint and its proximity to the airport that aircraft use to
navigate their approaches which leads to low altitude flights over Palo Alto and some other
Midpeninsula cities. The three SFO routes that use this waypoint can be characterized as
arrivals from the north, west and south.
Northerly Arrivals
This route brings aircraft over the Peninsula and completes a left banking U-turn over Palo Alto
to then approach SFO. The Committee recommended that this route use the Bay for arrival,
instead of the Peninsula, and complete a right banking U-turn. This would reduce the number
of flights over the Midpeninsula and Palo Alto. The City’s position aligns with this
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recommendation. The SFO Roundtable concurred with the Select Committee but was cautious
with its recommendation due to the volume of airplane traffic using the Bay.
Westerly Arrivals
This route brings aircraft from Asia over Woodside and then making a left turn at or near the
MENLO waypoint for the arriving final approach to SFO. The percent of flights using this route is
substantially lower compared to the northerly and southerly routes. Additionally, as mentioned
by various speakers during the Select Committee meetings, providing alternative route
recommendations for this arrival is difficult due to air travel over the vast Pacific Ocean and the
fuel capacity of aircraft in relation to changing weather patterns. The Committee recommended
that FAA comply with existing noise abatement procedure with particular attention to night
time flights. The City’s position mostly aligns with this recommendation. The SFO Roundtable
concurred with the Select Committee report but acknowledged that due to a customized arrival
plan, referred to as Ocean Tailored Arrival, some flights with FAA approval do fly at low
altitudes and that there are limited options to further mitigate this arrival route.
Southerly Arrivals
This route brings aircraft over the Santa Cruz area to then fly over the South Bay, Los Altos, Los
Altos Hills, and Palo Alto to then complete a left turn at or near the MENLO waypoint for the
final to approach SFO. The Select Committee made four detailed recommendations regarding
this route. They are simplified and noted here:
1. Design a new route using the former arrival route referred to as Big Sur;
2. Ensure arrivals cross the MENLO waypoint at or above 5,000 ft.;
3. Monitor and measure noise for this new route;
4. Design an entirely new route that takes maximum advantage of non-residential areas such
as unpopulated areas, industrial areas, parkland, cemeteries, etc.
The City’s position aligns with No. 4 of this recommendation. Numbers 1 to 3 are generally
improvements for the Midpeninsula region but not long term solutions in reducing aircraft
noise over Palo Alto.
It is also important to note that during the Select Committee hearings the City recommended
two specific proposals for southerly arrivals (in addition to our four standing positions). One
proposal recommended using the full extent of the Bay and entering the Bay Area over
Fremont and Milpitas at very high altitudes. The Committee and SFO Roundtable did
recommend that the FAA consider transitioning nighttime flights from the south to the east.
The other new suggestion was to divert some flights arriving from the Santa Cruz area to travel
several miles south of Palo Alto at much higher altitudes. The Committee did not endorse the
idea based on FAA advice that they lack the technology to have aircraft join a flight path at
various points.
Palo Alto, SFO Roundtable Membership and an Ongoing Forum to Address Aircraft Noise
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Palo Alto’s recent history with the SFO Roundtable dates back to 2014 when the City requested
membership but was not granted voting status. In 2016 the item reemerged with the SFO
Roundtable placing the topic on their agenda without notifying the City. The item was not
discussed due to the lack of support by Congresswoman Eshoo who was in the process of
forming the Select Committee and stated that “Santa Clara County has 15 cities within its
jurisdiction and adding only one city as voting member is not an equitable solution.”
Additionally since the City was not aware about the SFO Roundtable’s desire to discuss the item
the City asked that the item not be discussed at that time.
To address the need and inequity between Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, the Select
Committee made to two recommendations. One being the formation of an “Ad-Hoc Committee
consisting of two Members/Alternates from the Select Committee (or others yet to be named)
from each County/Congressional District to be convened by the three members of Congress
who empaneled the Select Committee over the short-term to continue work on the issues
identified in the report.” Second, they recommended that “a permanent entity be established
to address issues of aircraft noise in the three county area on an ongoing basis, and to provide a
forum for community input.”
The Policy & Services Committee may be interested in representation on and access to an
ongoing entity that addresses aircraft noise and impacts. The SFO Roundtable is currently the
only formal entity and the City could seek participation. Yet in light of the Select Committee
report recommendations to create an Ad-Hoc Committee and possibly a new permanent entity,
as well as no response from the FAA to the reports, should we pursue SFO Roundtable
membership now?
Noise Measurement and Monitoring
The Select Committee acknowledged that the FAA’s established noise measurement metrics are
inadequate and do not represent what is being experienced by citizens on the ground. The
Committee report states that “the shortcomings exist in large measure because the cumulative
noise level (over a 24-hour period) is not high enough to technically constitute a significant
impact.” The report goes on to state that “the use of Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL)
alone is ill-suited to assess ground level impacts.” The Committee recommended that Congress
require the FAA to adopt supplemental metrics for aircraft noise.
Furthermore, the Select Committee recognized the need for before and after noise monitoring
by making two recommendations. They requested the FAA and or SFO to monitor and
document noise exposure from any feasible solutions before and after implementation and
secondarily to establish a set of regional monitoring stations throughout the Bay Area and the
three Congressional districts.
Palo Alto does not have any SFO Noise Abatement Office sanctioned noise monitors located
throughout the city. SFO has offered to install temporary noise monitors throughout Palo Alto.
Staff has not yet requested these temporary monitors due to concerns regarding the
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inadequate noise measurement metrics and varying expert opinions about the usefulness of
noise monitors. Staff has invited SFO Noise Abatement Office staff to comment on this topic at
the Committee meeting.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Select Committee Report
Attachment B: SFO Roundtable Report
Attachment C: VSA Memo re Federal Legislation
Attachment D: FAA Graphic of SFO Arrivals
Attachment E: Congressional Representative Press Release