Los Angeles County may seek affordable housing over general aviation in a study on whether to close Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.
The county Board of Supervisors voted to increase a shut-down study’s budget to $1.9 million to examine the economic impacts of repurposing the 184-acre public airfield at 12653 Osborne Street, in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who represents the region, led a motion in April that asked for the study about operational impacts, as well as shutting it down and using the site for other purposes, including housing.
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, as well as a public health hazard. They demanded the airport’s closure.
Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, whose district includes the airport, also called for its closure.
Whiteman Airport, which opened in 1946, is among a diminishing number of general aviation airports across Southern California. Santa Monica Airport is slated to close in 2028.
The county airport in Pacoima averages 82,000 takeoffs and landings each year and “plays an important role in the local and regional transportation networks,” according to the county’s Department of Economic Opportunity.
About 600 general aviation pilots use the airport, including use by L.A. County sheriff and fire departments.
The Valley Industry & Commerce Association strongly opposed the original motion in April, saying considering the closure of the airport would have a negative impact on the San Fernando Valley economy. The group said the airport supports 412 jobs.
Jim Miller, a member of the Whiteman Airport Association and chairman of the Friends of Whiteman, a group representing 400 airport tenants, businesses and other airport users, said the airport generates $110 million in economic benefits to the region.
Conducting 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 told the newspaper.
The study is in support of the county’s strategy to increase affordable housing as well as maximizing county assets. “The county is supporting these goals by proposing a project that will potentially provide affordable housing,” the DEO said in a recent letter to the Board of Supervisors.
Rodriguez did not specify potential uses for the property, saying only that the study is an important step for understanding alternative uses in a region that needs more economic investment.
“It is imperative to have our eyes wide open on what are the potentials for such a sizable amount of land,” she said.
— Dana Bartholomew
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