3. Airport Safety Issues

The site is located approximately one mile from the Watsonville airport. Part of the site is located within the airport's "departing overflight path." On a fall weekday Commission staff witnessed several planes flying over the site within an hour time period. A plane crash on the site could be a safety hazard and cause a fire.

There are specific procedures for selecting school sites near airports, based both on safety and noise. The State's "School Site Selection and Approval Guide" booklet sites "Office of Airports Manual." Basically, this requires consultation with the State Department of Transportation Aeronautics Program. There are evaluation procedures that must be followed and siting guidelines, but few objective standards for siting. Of most relevance, "if the school site is located within any of the above safety area for a planned or useable runway, or within the missed approach maneuvering area of a published instrument approach within two miles of the airport, the site will, in most cases, be recommended against." A consultation for Area C occurred in 1987. At that time the State Division of Aeronautics evaluated the subject site along with six others. They concluded:

Our evaluation of the six proposed school sites revealed that [the subject site is] located within the airport traffic area and considerable overflights would occur and possible overflights during operations involving instrument weather conditions. This potential of overflight with respect to noise and safety would not be compatible with school development . . . [t]he Department does object to purchase of [the subject site] for school purposes.

Thus, the State Department of Education wrote to the School District that the subject site would not be approvable.

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A subsequent evaluation was performed in 1992. At that time the Division of Aeronautics expressed "some reservations regarding" Area C "because of some safety and noise concerns." "[They] recommend that the Pajaro Valley Unified School District explore all alternative sites before considering selection of' Area C. If Area C is selected, "they recommend that steps be taken to minimize outside noise to within 45 decibels inside classrooms." "The Department cannot guarantee the safety of [Area C]". "However, based upon our evaluation of existing conditions and plan[n]ed development" Area C is "considered to provide the level of safety suitable for a school. Therefore, we do not object to the acquisition of these proposed school sites. However, if a site is not acquired by January 31, 1997 another evaluation will be required."

In 1997, the Division of Aeronautics (now called the Aeronautics Program) extended the expiration of their 1992 approval for another five years. They determined that the conclusions of their 1992 evaluation remained valid.

D. Analysis of Consistency with Coastal Act Hazards and Public Safety Policies

2. Airport Safety Needs to Be Guaranteed

Because the proposed amendment only allows for the possibility of a future school on the site, the 1997 Aeronautics approval can not substitute for the need for possible future coordination of the City with the Aeronautics Program of CALTRANS. The Aeronautics Program only approved a generalized area as suitable for a school; it did not review a specific site plan. Given all of the modifications suggested in this report as well as other considerations, the final school layout may well appear different than the layout that the PVUSD has prepared to date, or the general location that was provided to CALTRANS in 1992. Also, it might take PVUSD beyond the 2002 deadline to actually pursue a coastal development permit for the school. Because school siting is so integrally tied to the Aeronautics Program's authority and because safety is a significant issue it would seem at a minimum that the LCP would need at least one policy addressing airport safety compliance concerns.

California Coastal Commission