Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/john-wayne-airport/)
County supervisors declined a series of requests by nearby residents, mayors and small plane owners seeking to preserve the existing mix of aircraft. The public will be able to review and comment on the proposed mix of hangar space before it’s approved, supervisors said.
Two supervisors succeeded in overriding the results of a competitive bidding process for a lucrative food spot at John Wayne Airport.
The move by Supervisors Lisa Bartlett and Michelle Steel is the latest by supervisors to pick a low-ranked vendor after county staff held a competitive bidding process.
Residents, some with signs that read “STOP JWA Noise and Pollution,” packed the supervisors’ hearing room and overflow room and at times shouted their opposition to board actions.
The alternative, which was proposed at the Board of Supervisors’ May 7 meeting, would keep the number of private jet spaces at 65.
Newport Beach residents and small plane owners succeeded in getting county supervisors to step back from controversial plans to add more private jet spaces at John Wayne Airport.
Orange County supervisors on Tuesday will consider a plan to grow executive jet flight operations at John Wayne Airport, which has sparked intense opposition from neighbors who question campaign contribution connections to OC supervisors as well as environmental impacts.
Newport Beach residents are wary of expansion plans at John Wayne Airport to open a new private, executive jet terminal. While county officials says executive jets are a small part of revenues, a Voice of OC analysis of campaign filings shows a different nexus: campaign contributions to county supervisors from private jet contractors and their business associates. JWA expansion plans are up for approval next month by Orange County airport commissions on May 1 and by county supervisors on May 7.
A 15-story office building and 15-story hotel will be built across the street from John Wayne Airport after the Irvine City Council sided with the Federal Aviation Administration and overrode local and state decisions that had labeled the project a potential air hazard.
“I need to put my trust in someone to help me resolve that conflict,” said Councilman Jeff Lalloway, who made the motion to hire a consultant and bring the issue back for a vote Sept 12. “When public safety is involved, this is way too important of an issue just to dismiss.”