Council to allow houses to be built next to Whitehouse Field

[thelakelander]

City Council Introduces Bill to Help Whitehouse Neighbors

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A Westside community took their fight to City Council and won.

Council President, Daniel Davis, introduced new legislation during Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

The bill repeals a law that prevented families from building near the Navy's Whitehouse air strip.

Monday night, hundreds of people showed up at the Whitehouse Baptist Church to voice their opinions. At the meeting, City Council members admitted to making the mistake and promised to correct it.

article: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=105481

Was this a smart move?  What happens when future residents complain about super hornet jet noise coming from the air strip?

[Ocklawaha]

Without a land base home for the various wings or squadrons on the ships, we can kiss the aircraft carriers good-bye, if not now, in the near future. Maybe the entire Naval complex. A new super base in the middle of Camp Blanding might work, and Lake City still has a large former military/National Guard base that might be used but for short runways... Moody AFB in Valdosta is the next nearest and ready to use modern, long runway base...home of the Flying Tigers.

Ocklawaha

[tufsu1]

the rule that City Council is changing prohobits new construction anywhere within 4 miles of the runway....that seems a bit excessive to me and should have been reduced!

[Steve]

I think the issue was that they passed a bill regarding new construction, and inadvertedly included a guy who wants to put an addition on his house that is already there.  Because of the 300 pissed off people that showed up at the church, Davis pulled the bill.  I'm guessing another bill will be passed soon, but probably with clearer language.

Inagine that, a poorly written Jacksonville ordinance.

[thelakelander]

Does the bill include a provision that owners of new construction can't complain if Whitehouse's air traffic increases in the future?  Is such a provision even legal?

[JeffreyS]

I'm sure someone will promise not to expand the airport so everyone will move as close as they can to it.  I do think the people Craig Field were lied to about intents to expand but it is not the shocker of century.  If people do build there homes near Whitehouse Field the should embrace the airplanes.

[Jason]

^ But you know they won't.  We'll be watching the same mess that is happening with Craig a few years down the line.  IMO, the council is at fault for letting development encorach on our air fields.  The aviation industry and military is rapidly growing and will likely continue to grow.  Why would Whitehouse Field be any different?  Now the government will likely have to further limit their exercizes and training to be quieter for the new residents, pushing them to eventually pack up and move out.  Jacksonville is not built out, nor is Whitehouse in the middle of an urban area.  Keep the growth away and keep the military happy.

[Driven1]

this result = danny davis + baptist church + westside (home of danny davis) + political aspirations

[Lunican]

Here is a nice video showing what happens when development encroaches on an airport (or vice versa).

http://www.youtube.com/v/UyU9OLqQ8XA&hl