Newport council to consider new noise monitoring system for JWA flights

Aging equipment that monitors aircraft noise in Newport Beach from John Wayne Airport would be replaced with new technology under a proposal the City Council will consider Tuesday.

For years, the city and Orange County have maintained 10 noise monitoring stations, three of which were placed in the arrival corridors and seven in the departure corridor near Newport Heights and the Back Bay.

The current equipment is nearly 20 years old and should be replaced given the age of the technology and that some of the components are no longer made, according to city staff.

The county Board of Supervisors also would have to approve the replacement. A city staff report says the project would be done at no cost to the city.

Each station is a tall pole-like structure with a microphone at the top to pick up the sound as planes fly over. The stations, which are set up in a triangle pattern, are intended to ensure that airlines are complying with noise thresholds put in place by a 1985 settlement agreement among the county, city, airport and two community groups.

While each station has a specific limit on allowable noise, the limits are lower as planes fly higher and farther from JWA, according to the staff report.

The agreement also established a flight curfew, an annual passenger limit and a daily limit on the number of departures at the airport. In 2014, the parties extended the agreement through December 2030.

If the council agrees to replace the noise monitoring system, it also would have to agree to change the noise thresholds outlined in the agreement to reflect the new system’s more sensitive microphones, according to the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act.

Data from tests of the new system during a three-month period in the JWA flight corridors show that the technology recorded noise from each flight at 0.3 to 0.9 decibels higher than the current system. However, that doesn’t mean residents would experience more noise, the staff report states.

“The flights’ noise is unchanged,” the report says. “Further, in almost all cases, the [noise] thresholds are not close to being met, regardless of the microphone system. If anything, flights are getting slightly quieter over time as air carriers move to more fuel-efficient engines.”

The issue will be introduced to the council during a study session beginning at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive. The council is expected to vote on the matter during its regular session, which begins at 7 p.m.

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Outdoor dining considered for Balboa Village

The City Council on Tuesday also will consider allowing outdoor dining at restaurants in Balboa Village that don’t have the necessary permits.

In June, the Balboa Village Advisory Committee voted to forward its proposal for increased outdoor dining to the council as part of the group’s efforts to revitalize the aging area of the Balboa Peninsula.

“Outdoor dining areas can improve the dining experience, contribute to a more pedestrian-oriented village and improve the overall ambience of the neighborhood,” a city staff report states.

Establishing outdoor dining at an existing restaurant typically requires a new or an amended use permit, which can cost several thousand dollars and take months to obtain.

The proposed pilot program would require an applicant to submit an application, a project description and plans showing the dining area, at no cost to the business and without a public hearing. City staff would decide within a week whether to approve the application. Outdoor dining would not be allowed past 11 p.m., according to the staff report.

The city would evaluate the program in 10 months to determine whether it should be continued permanently or expanded to other areas of the city.