May 17, 2018 – Delivering on his promise of transparent government, partnering with the people of Westchester County and the “Good Neighbor” Policy, County Executive George Latimer announced his strategy to move forward on planning the future of the Westchester County Airport.
View the full press conference.
Latimer said: “We are laying out a process, without presuming what the final product will be, that results in a combination of citizen input, legislative discussion, Executive Branch review, input from professionals who run the airport and ultimately public policy that is set by my office and the Board of Legislators. This is what I believe has been missing in terms of dealing with airport issues. We have a responsibility to get to the best public policy with public input.”
The four main areas of the Latimer Airport Plan are:
- Masterplan
- Governance
- Operations
- Citizen Involvement
Masterplan
The development and adoption of a plan that will serve as a roadmap to guide the Airport through the coming years in all facets of its operation.
The County is long overdue in its 2012 commitment to the FAA to develop a Master Plan. The FAA has been cooperating with the County and agreed to extend its deadline until July 15. To avoid losing the $1.38 million dollar grant, and to avoid jeopardizing future FAA grants, the County will be submitting The Astorino Administration’s Master Plan without prejudice.
The Latimer Administration plans to immediately start working on a Supplement to the Astorino Administration’s Master Plan that will incorporate additional public input and a full County Board of Legislators (BOL) review. The Latimer Administration will also ensure the Terminal Use Restrictions remain in place.
View Slides from Master Plan Public Hearing on June 6.
Governance
Over the past two years, the prior Administration has submitted for Board of Legislators review plans that would change the governance of the Airport, and allow a private sector entity (2016 – Oak Tree Capital; 2017 – Macquarie Development) to exert operational control over the Airport. The 2016 plan was rejected by the BOL, and the 2017 plan was not acted on by the BOL. We are now encouraging the Board to explore the issue.
View Slides from Governance Public Hearing on June 11.
Operations
The Latimer Administration will conduct a thorough review of every facet Airport operations, researching the external concerns over flight volume, noise, drainage, environmental impact, flight paths, landing altitudes, type of equipment used, frequency, curfews, operations of Fixed Base Operators (FBO), parking, etc. Community Input Meetings will be held on this topic. Many of these issues will be part of the on-going work of the Airport Advisory Board.
Citizen Involvement
Westchester County residents are our full partners in the discussions about the Airport, accordingly, we intend to do the following:
-
Announce new members for the Airport Advisory Board, including community representatives from local jurisdictions (June 1)
-
Hold Community Input Meetings on the following topics:
-
Master Plan- June 6
-
7 p.m.
-
Rye Brook Village Hall
938 King Street
Rye Brook, NY 10573 -
Governance - June 11
-
7 p.m.
-
Hergenhan Recreation Center
40 Maple Avenue
Armonk, NY 10504
-
Operations - June 25
-
7 p.m.
-
West Harrison Senior Center
251 Underhill Avenue
West Harrison, NY 10604