How is an MCAS Miramar or Montgomery-Gibbs airport overlay affecting my parcel?
Answered by AskBaily Editorial · Updated
Short answer
Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) adopted by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority restrict height and require sound-attenuation construction on parcels inside designated influence areas around MCAS Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs, Lindbergh Field, Gillespie, Brown Field, and Oceanside. An additional story or ADU on a Miramar-adjacent lot can hit the Part 77 height surface; interior sound attenuation (windows, walls, attic baffles) is mandated inside the 65 dB CNEL contour.
In detail
Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans, adopted by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority acting as the Airport Land Use Commission under California Public Utilities Code Sections 21670 through 21679.5, place a separate compatibility overlay on parcels inside designated Airport Influence Areas. The City of San Diego incorporates the ALUCPs into the Land Development Code through SDMC §132.1500 (Airport Land Use Compatibility Overlay Zone), and Development Services routes affected projects through the FAA Form 7460-1 Notice of Proposed Construction process under 14 CFR Part 77 when a structure pierces a defined imaginary surface.
Six airports drive overlay coverage in the San Diego metro: MCAS Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive, San Diego International (Lindbergh Field), Gillespie Field in El Cajon, Brown Field Municipal, and Oceanside Municipal. Each ALUCP defines four compatibility zones, with the most restrictive controls in Zones 1 and 2 (Runway Protection and Inner Approach/Departure). The two compatibility tools that hit residential remodels hardest are height limitation and noise attenuation. Height is regulated against the FAR Part 77 imaginary surfaces, which start at 7:1 transitional slopes from runway centerline and extend through 50:1 approach surfaces; even modest second-story additions or rooftop ADUs on parcels along the Miramar approach corridor can pierce those surfaces and trigger an FAA aeronautical study.
Noise attenuation is mandated inside the 65 dB CNEL contour. The CBC adopts an interior noise standard of 45 dB CNEL for habitable rooms (CBC §1207.11.2 by reference to Title 24 Section 1207), forcing dual-pane STC-rated windows, sealed exterior wall assemblies, attic baffling, and mechanical ventilation that lets occupants close windows. ALUCP noise zones for Lindbergh Field track the Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Loma Portal, and South Park flightpaths; Miramar contours run through Mira Mesa, Tierrasanta, and Sorrento Valley. Buyers, designers, and contractors should pull the parcel against the ALUCP overlay map before scoping any vertical addition.
Sources
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