BOISE – The Boise Airport is looking to update their master plan, something they haven’t done since 2010. It’s a process done about every decade to help meet growing demand. Airport leaders are in the process of updating that plan to help meet the aviation demands of today and tomorrow.
“It looks at aviation growth in the Boise area. We look at short, medium, and long term goals. So 20 to 30 years out in the future,” airport spokesperson Sean Briggs said.
The plan also puts into place benchmarks that allows the airport to build smarter.
“If we needed to add a third runway, if we wanted to add on to our terminal, if we wanted to add an extra parking garage,” Briggs said. “Those are some of the things that factor into that airport layout plan.”
While the airport’s master plan gets underway, the Federal Aviation Administration recently approved its noise study.
“Those noise exposure maps look at areas that aren’t suited for residential use; areas that should be commercial use only and how the noise comes out from the Boise Airport,” Briggs said.
Those mitigation efforts can go anywhere from buying their home to helping homeowners sound proof their home.
“Has to be an agreement between the property owners, the airport, and the FAA,” Briggs said.
There’s roughly 100 homes eligible to be purchased by the airport due to noise levels, one of those homes belonging to Joshua Servatius.
“For me it really has to be a magic number. It has to be, consider what the house is worth and all of the improvements that I’ve done to it,” Servatius said.
Briggs says right now the approval just gives the airport the option to buy the homes. He added nothing is set in stone, which as some homeowners, like Servatius, frustrated.
“Because we didn’t know, we’ve been making these improvements to the house and it’s like at what point do you stop pulling out the wallet and say let’s wait and see what’s going to happen here,” Servatius said.
The airport is asking for public input on this master plan. Briggs says they don’t have a definitive date for when the first meeting will be, only that it will be in October.
The plan is expected to take between 12 to 18 months to be completed.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/boise-airport-providing-a-framework-for-the-future/323198199