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Recommendation to request the Planning Commission to hold an additional public hearing meeting in the evening before taking action on the Long Beach Airport Terminal Area Improvement Project Environmental Impact Report; and
Request City Manager to defer placing on the City Council agenda any action items related to the Long Beach Airport terminal improvements until a subsequent City Council meeting from when any appeal of the EIR may be considered.
DISCUSSION
After more than three years of discussion and meetings, we are entering the critical stages of determining the scope of improvements to the Long Beach Airport terminal area. At this vital juncture, it is critical that the process be as public and transparent as possible.
The Long Beach Airport Terminal Area Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has received significant public interest, as evidenced by the 285 comments submitted to the Draft EIR. There were more than 900 pages of comments and responses to the comments that were released on April 24, 2006.
A public hearing to discuss the EIR has been noticed for the Planning Commission’s regularly scheduled meeting at 1 :30 p.m. on May 4, 2006. While it is important to address these issues in a timely manner, this can be accomplished while still providing an additional opportunity for the public to participate in the public hearing during evening hours.
If scheduled within the next ten days, this would still allow sufficient time for the required IO-day appeal period and public notification to hold a special Council meeting on May 30, if necessary.
Also, as has been previously discussed by the Council, there are a number of issues to consider as part of the terminal improvement project besides the considerations involved in the EIR, such as costs, financing obligations and neighborhood impacts. The Council should have an opportunity to discuss all of the relevant factors, in addition to those addressed in the EIR, before making a determination on the ...
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