Airport Land Use Commission
The Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) was designated as the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for Placer County in 1997. In this role, PCTPA acts as the hearing body for airport land use compatibility planning in the vicinity of each of the County’s three airports:
The ALUC promotes compatibility between these airports and future land use projects within their vicinity by discouraging incompatible land use projects that may be sensitive to noise, infringe on airspace, or located within a flight zone susceptible to aircraft accidents.
ALUC Powers and Duties
The ALUC is comprised of board members from the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency, which is represented by one councilmember from each of the six incorporated cities or towns, two members of the County Board of Supervisors, and one member of the public appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. Public Utilities code 21670 (et. seq.) provides for the following powers and duties:
- Coordinate airport land use compatibility planning efforts at the state, regional and local levels to the extent that the land in the vicinity of those airports is not already devoted to incompatible uses;
- Prepare and adopt an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for each public-use airport in its jurisdiction; and
- Review plans, regulations and other actions of local agencies and airport operators (PUC Section 21676).
The Rules and Procedures for the Placer County Airport Land Use Commission define the way the ALUC activities, meetings, and public hearings are to be conducted.
ALUC Limitations
While the intent of the ALUC is to promote compatible land uses around airports, the ALUC has no authority over existing land uses or the operation of the airports. The ALUC has no jurisdiction over existing land uses even if those uses are incompatible with airport activities and cannot require the conversion to a compatible use. The configuration of runways and other airport facilities, the types of aircraft operating at the airport, or where they fly are governed by the associated city or county that the airport resides in.
Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans
As the ALUC (Section 21674.7 of the Public Utilities Code), PCTPA develops Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCP) for each airport. The ALUCPs contain land use criteria for allowable density and intensity of land uses for new development to protect public health, minimize the public’s exposure to safety hazards, and excessive noise from nearby airports. The ALUCPs serve as a tool for use by the Commission in fulfilling its duty to review airport and adjacent land use projects. Implementation of these plans will promote compatible development in the airport vicinity leading to the continued operation of the airports.
The Placer County ALUCP contains individual ALCUPs for each of the three public-use airports within the jurisdiction of the Placer County ALUC:
- Auburn Municipal
- Blue Canyon
- Lincoln Regional
Each ALUCP is tailored to the type of aircraft, airport activities, approach and departure paths, and terrain. The Final 2021 ALUCP page contains links to the full ALUCP, maps of airport influence areas, table of compatible land use criteria, and background information.
Project Review and Fee Schedule
Implementation of the ALUCPs occurs through the submittal of land use projects within the Airport Influence Areas. The local agency responsible for the permitting and approval process of the specified project will notify the applicant whether the project is within the Airport Influence Area (AIA).
Each jurisdiction’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance has been determined by the ALUC to be consistent with the ALUCP. As such the ALUC’s authority to review proposed projects around an airport is limited and is now the responsibility of the local jurisdiction with land use authority within the specific airport influence area. Projects that require mandatory review will however continue to be referred to the ALUC. Mandatory project referrals include general and community plan amendments; specific plans and amendments thereto; zoning ordinance changes including text amendments and rezoning of properties; building code changes; and land use actions for which a Special Condition Exception to the ALUCP is being sought from the ALUC. Airport planning actions always requiring ALUC review include adoption or modification of a master plan or airport layout plan; and any proposal for airport expansion requiring an amended Airport Permit from the State of California.
The level of review and schedule to issue a consistency determination will differ based on the type of project submitted. The Project Review and Fee Schedule page defines project categories and the associated fee schedule.
The following fact sheet provides an overall summary of the ALUC Plan and review process: ALUC Plan Review Fact Sheet - July 2023
Should you have any questions, please contact David Melko at 530.823.4090 or dmelko@pctpa.net.