Study on other uses for Whiteman Airport approved by LA County supervisors

An expanded land use study will examine other uses for the county-owned Whiteman Airport in Pacoima should it be shut down, including the possibility of building affordable housing, according to a motion approved Tuesday, Oct. 22 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Its action adds $1.3 million for a consulting firm already charged with studying the airport, bringing the study’s cost to $1.9 million to look at economic impacts and alternative uses “for the potential repurposing” of the general aviation airport, according to county documents. The study will also determine the economic benefits of aviation operations.

“Although no final decision has been made to close Whiteman Airport, it is prudent at this time to investigate all potential impacts of airport closure to the Pacoima community and the County,” wrote Kelly LoBianco, director of the county’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) in a letter to the board dated Oct. 22.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who represents the area, authored a motion in April that asked for the study about operational impacts, as well as shutting it down and using the 184-acre site for other purposes. Tuesday’s action sets that full study in motion.

“An economic study is a critical next step in a process to reimagine the Whiteman Airport site in Pacoima,” said Horvath in a prepared statement. “The results of the fiscal analysis and land use study will inform future actions while we take immediate steps today to protect the health of the residents of the Northeast San Fernando Valley, including the transition to unleaded aviation fuel.”

In early 2022, residents from Pacoima picketed the airport after a plane crash, saying crashes, noise and possible lead exposure from airplane emissions make it unsafe, and a public health hazard, and that it should be closed.

Those supporting its closure include Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 7th District, Monica Rodriguez. The airport is located in the city of Los Angeles within her district.

“I’ve been very vocal about the need for its closure,” Rodriguez said in an interview on Tuesday. “It is absolutely concerning to me, this airport has been operating without any protections for the community.”

According to the county DEO, the airport averages 82,000 takeoffs and landings each year and “plays an important role in the local and regional transportation networks.” About 600 general aviation pilots use the airport, including use by L.A. County sheriff and fire departments.

Airport users, tenants and pilots oppose closing the airport. In April, supporters gathered at an L.A. County Aviation Commission meeting. Some said closure would force pilots to use Van Nuys Airport, while others emphasized educational programs on aviation for local youth.

Jim Miller flies out of Whiteman, rents a hangar, is a member of the Whiteman Airport Association and chairs the Friends of Whiteman — a group representing 400 airport tenants, businesses and other airport users. Miller said the airport generates $110 million in economic benefits to the region.

He called the study a waste of taxpayer dollars and disagreed with the county action which will use dollars from a fund for continuing aviation operations to help perform the study. He said that was an inappropriate use of funds. Doing an economic and land-use study is cover for closing the airport, he said.

“This study will give them the information they need so they can then argue shutting down a critical piece of aviation infrastructure in Southern California is justified,” Miller said.

The study is in support of the county’s strategy to increase affordable housing as well as maximizing county assets.

“In this case, the county is supporting these goals by proposing a project that will potentially provide affordable housing, using a local and targeted workforce to construct the project and develop county assets in a manner that provides significant local revitalization,” the DEO letter stated.

Rodriguez did not specify what kind of use should be built on the property, saying only that the study is an important step for understanding different kinds of alternative uses in an area that could use more economic investments.

“It is imperative to have our eyes wide open on what are the potentials for such a sizable amount of land. Rodriguez said 184 acres is a lot.

The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) strongly opposed the original motion in April, saying considering the closure of the airport would have a negative effect on the San Fernando Valley’s economic climate. The group said the airport supports 412 jobs.

Rodriguez said that amounts to a little more than two jobs per acre. “In its current use the benefits are two jobs per acre? In a community with economic needs like Pacoima, I think we can do better.”

She became convinced the airport should close after a aircraft crash in 2020. A single-engine Cessna 182 approaching Whiteman knocked over power lines before falling onto and setting ablaze several parked cars on a residential street. The pilot died in the crash.

And on Jan. 9, 2022, the pilot of a Cessna 172 made an emergency landing on the tracks next to San Fernando Road. He was pulled to safety by police officers only seconds before a train barreled into his downed plane.

“There have been multiple incidents,” she said. “This is a facility operating without any protections for the neighborhood.”