Residents under the flight path of the Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday decried a proposed runway expansion plan that would bring takeoffs and landings closer to the residential areas of Westchester.
The plan, which is expected to be voted on Feb. 5 by the Board of Airport Commissioners, said LAX's northern-most runway would be moved 260 feet towards Westchester, and its parallel northern runway would be lengthened toward Sepulveda Boulevard.
Some LA business leaders say the runway redo will attract global businesses and bring money into the city. But residents have another take.
“The expansion enables even more flights to come in here,” resident Denny Schneider said during an airport board meeting on Thursday. “We were already at gridlock in the sky.”
If the Airport Commissioners approve, the plan goes up for a vote by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
The expansion plans were a hot topic during Monday’s Mayoral Debate at UCLA at which five candidates said they support the idea of a redo but also tipped their hats to the need for residents’ input.
Residents question whether more passengers equals more money for region and they say expansion would turn Lincoln Boulevard into a parking lot and put local shops out of business.
