Part 150 Study Update

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Introduction

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA or Authority) is updating the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR or Airport) Noise Compatibility Study (Study or Part 150 Study) in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) process codified under Title 14, Part 150 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR Part 150 or Part 150). A Part 150 Study is a voluntary, federally funded and supervised formal process for airport operators to address aircraft noise in terms of land use compatibility. A Part 150 Study includes the following two principal elements:

The Noise Exposure Map (NEM) element describes the airport layout and operation, aircraft-related noise exposure, land uses in the airport environs, and the resulting noise/land use compatibility. Part 150 requires that the documentation address aircraft operations during two time periods: the year of submission and a forecast year at least five years following the year of submission.
The Noise Compatibility Program (NCP) element describes the actions the airport proprietor recommends to address existing and future land use incompatibilities with aircraft operations.

It is important to understand the objectives and limitations of this Study.

A Part 150 Study

Determines the current and projected annualized aircraft noise exposure surrounding the Airport using the Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) noise metric.
Identifies measures to improve land use compatibility around the Airport.
Creates a method for implementing, evaluating, and updating the Airport’s NCP as necessary.The Noise Compatibility Program (NCP) element describes the actions the airport proprietor recommends to address existing and future land use incompatibilities with aircraft operations.

A Part 150 Study does not

Evaluate aircraft operations from other nearby area airports.
Consider other types of effects from aircraft operations (air quality, accidents, etc.).
Use noise metrics other than CNEL to assess noise effects.

Stakeholder and Public Participation

As part of this process, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will be formed. The TAC provides a venue for users of the Airport, land use planning officials, and other interested persons to submit their views, data, and comments during NEM and NCP development. The TAC is advisory in nature, as the Authority Commission is responsible for the certification of the NEM, and the decision on proposed NCP measures.

A Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) will be formed to provide broad community perspectives on the Part 150 Study. The CAC will be comprised of representatives from the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena as approved by the Authority Commission. All CAC meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Brown Act. Meeting information and materials are available below.

A series of four public open houses and one public hearing are planned for the Study between 2025-2026. Once confirmed, dates and details of the open houses will be posted to this page and distributed via email to the project database. Be sure to sign up below to receive the latest updates!

Schedule

A Part 150 Study is a multi-year endeavor that is purposefully deliberative in nature. It is anticipated that the first phase of the Part 150 Study will be completed in 2025 with the submission of the NEM, and the Part 150 Study will conclude in 2027 with the submission of the NCP.

Study Timeline

The table below is an initial schedule for open houses and key milestones for the Part 150 Study. Dates and timing are subject to change as the project progresses. Please view this page often to obtain the latest updates to the schedule.

Community Events

Open House #1

Join us for our Winter 2025 introductory open house! Stay tuned for more details or sign up at the top of this page to be among the first to learn about our meeting dates.

Citizen’s Advisory Committee Meetings

CAC Meetings details will be updated here as soon as it’s available. Check back here soon!

Resources

CAC Roster
Presentations
Meeting Summaries

Study Documents
FAQs
- English
- Spanish
- Armenian

FAQs

In accordance with FAA guidance, an Airport Noise Compatibility Study pursuant to Part 150 (Part 150 Study) relies on the Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) in California to assess land use compatibility. The FAA considers all land uses compatible with aircraft noise below 65 dB CNEL and assesses land uses exposed to CNEL of 65 dB or greater to identify non-compatible land uses in accordance with Table 1 in Appendix A of 14 CFR Part 150. Noise sensitive land uses exposed to CNEL of 65 dB or greater could be eligible for federal funding for noise mitigation measures. Such measures and potential eligibility will be assessed in the Part 150 Study.

CNEL is defined in the California Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics Noise Standards contained in Title 21, Section 5006 of the California Code of Regulations. This Regulation provides that:

The level of noise acceptable to a reasonable person residing in the vicinity of an airport is established as a [CNEL] value of 65 dB for purposes of these regulations. This criterion level has been chosen for reasonable persons residing in urban residential areas where houses are of typical California construction and may have windows partially open. It has been selected with reference to speech, sleep and community reaction.

CNEL is the noise metric required for use in the State of California, and accepted by the FAA for use in California, to assess incompatible land uses with noise from aircraft operations.

The FAA requires use of its Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) to generate noise exposure contours from aircraft operations used to assess land use compatibility around airports. AEDT is a software system that models aircraft performance in space and time to estimate fuel consumption, emissions, and noise. The AEDT uses the following aircraft operational data when generating noise exposure contours from aircraft operations:

Total number of aircraft operations
Aircraft operations by type of aircraft
Aircraft operations by time of day
Aircraft operations by runway use
Aircraft operations by flight track
Aircraft operational procedures, including touch and goes

The latest available AEDT model is required by the FAA to generate the noise contours for use in Part 150 Studies, which at the onset of noise modeling for this Part 150 Study was version 3f.

To ensure consistency among all U.S. airports, the FAA requires the use of its noise model, AEDT, to generate aircraft noise exposure contours. The noise algorithms in AEDT use the results of measurement data provided via the aircraft certification process. Noise measurements typically occur at a relatively small number of discrete monitoring locations not intended to generate contours but rather to monitor changes in noise levels over time. For consistency purposes, the FAA does not allow noise measurements to validate or calibrate the model.

The NEM element of the Part 150 Study describes the airport layout and operation, aircraft-related noise exposure, land uses in the airport environs, and the resulting noise/land use compatibility within the 65 dB CNEL contour. Part 150 requires that the documentation address aircraft operations during two time periods: the year of submission and a forecast year at least five years following the year of submission.

The NCP element of the Part 150 Study describes the actions the airport proprietor recommends to address existing and future incompatible land uses.

The Part 150 Study is conducted with the assistance of the consulting team, HMMH, through extensive data collection, noise exposure modeling, land use compatibility analyses, community engagement, and evaluation of proposed measures to address incompatible land uses resulting from aircraft noise, guided by FAA regulations and standards. To further assist in the Part 150 Study, a Technical Advisory Committee will be formed to review documentation and analysis results, and provide pertinent expertise; the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, being formed by the Airport Authority Commission, will be kept apprised of progress on the Study and will assist in the update of the Authority’s NEM and NCP; public open houses will be used to disseminate the information and receive comments, and a public hearing will be conducted near the end of the Study to receive comments on the Authority-recommended measures to address the incompatible land uses around the Airport.

The study is necessary to update the aircraft noise exposure contours and identify the remaining incompatible land uses in order to potentially obtain federal funds to reduce incompatible land uses.

Yes. [HMMH to include a brief history of Part 150 at BUR]

While the Study focuses on noise exposure and mitigation, it may include considerations to the FAA for changes in flight operations if they are shown to be successful in reducing the number of people and/or noise-sensitive properties exposed to 65 dB CNEL or greater.

The goal of Part 150 is to have all land uses around the airport compatible with noise from aircraft operations.

The Part 150 Study is funded by the Authority with assistance from an FAA grant.

The Part 150 Study is underway and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026 with the NEM being submitted to the FAA in 2025 and the NCP submitted in 2027.

Interested community members will have the opportunity to learn more about the Part 150 Study and can get involved by attending open house meetings. Advance notice will appear on social media, in local newspapers, and on the Study webpage. Sign up on the webpage to receive project emails, details on upcoming workshops and engagement opportunities, and updates on the Study.

For general questions or information about the study, please contact BURPart150Study@arellanoassociates.com or visit the study webpage at www.hollywoodburbankairport.com/noise/part-150-study-update

Contact Us

For questions, please contact BURPart150Study@arellanoassociates.com