Title
Recommendation to Review and Comment on the Port of Oakland’s Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Terminal Modification and Development Project at the Oakland Airport and on City Staff’s Draft Response Letter. (Planning, Building and Transportation 20962700) [Not heard on September 5, 2023]
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On July 17, 2023, the Port of Oakland (Port) released a public review draft of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its proposed Oakland Airport Modernization and Expansion Program. The City has an opportunity to comment on the Draft EIR by October 16, 2023 (recently extended from September 15, 2023). Planning staff drafted the attached letter which may be sent on behalf of the City of Alameda (City), identifying several areas of interest including noise, air quality, and safety, as well as alternatives and baseline assumptions about the project and future activity at the airport. City Council is asked to consider public comment and provide comments on the contents of the letter (Exhibit 1) prior to submittal to the Port.
BACKGROUND
The Port is the lead agency responsible for preparing the environmental impact analysis of its proposed project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Draft EIR is available online here: https://www.oaklandairport.com/terminal-development-meeting-materials/#terminal-section-0 <https://www.oaklandairport.com/terminal-development-meeting-materials/>.
An executive summary of the project and its potential impacts, as analyzed by the Port, is provided in Exhibit 2.
Airport Project Description
The Oakland International Airport (OAK) includes South Field, which accommodates the commercial passenger and cargo activity, and North Field, which was the original airport and now accommodates corporate and general aviation purposes and other supporting facilities.
The proposed project includes modernizing Terminals 1 and 2, consolidating passenger processing functions (e.g., ticketing, baggage check-in, baggage claim, security screening), constructing expanded international arrival facilities, constructing a new terminal, relocating existing cargo and support facilities, and improving the terminal area roadway, parking areas, and support facilities. The new terminal would be an approximately 830,000-square-foot building north of the existing Terminal 1 with a connector building between the existing terminals and the new terminal. The new terminal would include additional aircraft gates, holdrooms, concessions, ticketing/check-in, baggage claim, passenger security screening, baggage screening, public restrooms, public circulation, and other support functions. The proposed project would result in modernized and expanded facilities and up to 16 net additional gates at OAK at the end of the five-year construction timeframe.
The EIR focuses its evaluation on the physical improvements to the airport and the impacts resulting from ground disturbance, traffic and similar impacts of the construction activity necessary to complete those improvements. The EIR provides additional information about impacts resulting from increased flight activity as “information only” because it does not directly regulate the activity of the airlines that it serves.
NEPA Review
The Proposed Project would result in a change to the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and may involve use of either Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and/or Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) funds (or other funds with federal oversight), which would require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As such, the Proposed Project also requires compliance with federal environmental laws and regulations. A separate environmental review document will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). No release date has been announced for that analysis. Presumably, the NEPA analysis will address the increased flight activity more directly than this EIR.
DISCUSSION
The City and the Port have entered into various settlement agreements in the past, going back to 1976, and more recently in 2001 and 2002. The Port has also been sued by other parties, including CLASS, the Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity, which represents a group of homeowner’s associations near the airport. The Port, City and CLASS, and other interested parties including representatives of neighboring jurisdictions such as San Leandro, Oakland, Berkeley (Berkeley Keep Jets Over the Bay Committee) and Save Our Skies East Bay, meet quarterly with FAA and OAK representatives to review noise issues and receive updates on current and future airport activities.
One outcome of the settlement agreements and quarterly meetings has been the development and implementation of a compliance plan for noise control that requires the Port to implement reasonable actions to encourage and maximize aircraft conformance with programs to reduce noise associated with airport operations. The plan addresses engine run-up, north field departures, nighttime departures, and other topics, including staffing, monitoring systems and outreach/communications.
Modifications to the airport, especially major changes that increase capacity, warrant thorough analysis. Staff has identified several aspects of the Draft EIR that may not fully disclose or take responsibility for impacts of the project. These issues include:
• Assumptions in the Analyses
• Noise Impacts
• Air Quality Impacts
• Safety Impacts
• Transportation Impacts
• Relationship of Project to existing Noise Programs and Mitigations
Additionally, as presented in the attached draft letter, City staff formally requests that the Port of Oakland enter into an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City to update and memorialize the existing terms of prior settlement agreements in light of the changes in circumstances over the past 20 years and in anticipation of the Port and City coordinating and partnering over the upcoming decades.
Staff recommends the City Council review and comment on the Draft EIR and provide direction and/or comments on the draft letter prepared by City staff.
ALTERNATIVES
The purpose of this report is to provide the City Council a summary of issues City Council may choose to review and comment on the EIR and/or provide other direction related to the project and EIR.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from reviewing and commenting on the Draft EIR.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The General Plan provides guidance on City actions related to noise, air quality, safety and transportation, among other topics. Specifically, the Health and Safety Element identifies airport noise and air pollution as concerns, and sets forth policies related to airport expansion. The Draft EIR concludes that no significant noise impacts would occur, but that significant unavoidable air quality and greenhouse gas emissions would occur.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Reviewing and commenting on the Port of Oakland’s Draft EIR is not itself a project subject to CEQA.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Reviewing and commenting on the Port’s Draft EIR does not have a direct effect on the environment. The project impacts on the environment could be affected if comments result in changes to the analysis, mitigation measures and alternatives in ways that improve the effects on noise, air quality, greenhouse gas emission and other effects.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the Draft EIR for the Oakland Airport Terminal Modernization and Development Project and on City’s staff’s draft response letter to be sent by the City Manager on behalf of the City.
Respectfully submitted,
Allen Tai, Acting Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Steven Buckley, Planning Services Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits
1. Draft Letter to Port of Oakland
2. Executive Summary from Draft EIR