The California Coastal Commission approved a request Thursday by Carlsbad to update regulations and redefine “airport uses” related to McClellan-Palomar Airport.
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The Carlsbad City Council’s request stems from residents’ concerns about the recent increase in commercial flights at the airport and the resulting noise experienced in nearby neighborhoods.
Carlsbad amended its general plan, zoning ordinance, and local coastal program in 2024 to clarify code requirements and permit-review procedures for any airport expansion. Those amendments required the Coastal Commission’s certification that was granted unanimously Tuesday.
However, while the changes include parts of the coastal zone regulated by the state commission, the airport itself is not in the coastal zone.
“The proposed amendment does not authorize any physical development or alter airport operations,” said Karl Schwing, director of the commission’s San Diego district, on Tuesday before the vote in Ventura.
“The commission’s action on the amendment does not express any opinion regarding current or future airport operations, uses or expansions,” he said.
The city’s changes could affect uses on properties near the airport should the county consider expanding the facility outside its present boundaries. Yet, so far, no new airport-related uses have been proposed outside the airport.
San Diego County officials, who own and operate the airport, opposed the city’s request. The airport at Palomar Airport Road and El Camino Real is surrounded by the city.
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“By redefining the terms ‘Airport’ and ‘Airport Expansion’ and taking other actions, the proposed amendments … seek to prevent the County from making necessary safety improvements to the Airport,” states a March 6 letter to the commission signed by Marisa K. Barrie.
Carlsbad Jet Center, which leases hangar space, sells fuel and provides other services at the airport, also opposed the city’s request.
“Federal regulations govern the county’s operation of the airport and, in our view, limit the ability of local agencies to restrict airport uses, including commercial air service,” states a letter submitted to the commission this week by Jet Center President and General Counsel Timothy Obitts.
A master plan approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors calls for the installation of “engineered materials arresting system” at the end of the airport’s one runway. The system is essentially a surface of crushable blocks that would slow a plane’s wheels on the ground and bring it to a safe stop if it overshoots the runway.
Also in the master plan is a proposal to extend the airport’s only runway by 200 feet and to realign the runway and taxiways within the existing footprint of the airport. None of the county’s proposed work has been funded or scheduled.
The airport watchdog group Citizens for a Friendly Airport has filed three lawsuits in the past two years against the Board of Supervisors after it approved renewed leases with American and United airlines for service at Palomar airport.
The Carlsbad City Council has joined one of the lawsuits. Carlsbad officials have said any additional commercial flights should require an updated conditional use permit from the city.
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