ISSUE
NOI‐2
Potential Future Missions Could Increase Noise Impacts
Potential future missions at Maxwell AFB could bring
additional C‐130s or fighter jets to the installation which
could intensify noise impacts and expand the noise contours.
Noise contours established for Maxwell AFB were established in 2007, and
re‐evaluated in 2008. The 908th Airlift Wing (AW) aircraft activity at that
time consisted primarily of C‐130s conducting approximately 19 average daily
operations, averaging 3,840 operations per year. The noise contours
produced by this level of activity are contained mostly within the boundaries
of the installation, with approximately 133 acres of land off‐installation. The
areas where the contours extend beyond the boundary of the installation are
at the North and South end of the main runway. The shape of the contour is
consistent with typical aircraft activity on the southern end of the runway,
which requires aircraft to depart while climbing and turning towards the west
in order to avoid airspace conflicts with Montgomery Regional Airport.
Figure 5.18‐3 illustrates the compatibility of the existing land uses under the
noise contours, and Figure 5.18‐4 illustrates the compatibility of zoning
within the noise contours that extend off‐installation.
As shown on Figure 5.18‐3, there are no existing land uses that are located
within the noise contours that are incompatible. There are approximately
27.21 acres designated as services (this was not defined in the data
provided), 21.76 acres designated for agriculture , and 10.77 acres
designated as residential or accommodations located within the 65 dB noise
contour that are assessed as conditionally compatible due to the city
permitting residential and other noise sensitive land uses in these land use
categories. Should the intensity of aircraft activity increase or additional
missions acquired by Maxwell AFB, the amount of land area covered by the
noise contours is likely to increase as well.
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While the existing land uses under the current noise contours do not
represent a current issue, Figure 5.18‐4 illustrates that there are
approximately 0.25 acres zoned for R‐99s Mobile Home Subdivision located
within the 65 dB noise contour. This zoning district is an incompatible land
use as mobile homes are typically not constructed with sound‐proof or sound
mitigating materials to reduce the impacts of aircraft noise in this area.
While the amount of land zoned for this type of subdivision would not likely
represent an extensive issue, if this type of land use is encouraged in the
future in this area, then an increased number of mobile homes or mobile
home subdivisions in this area could become a more significant incompatible
development.
While noise in this area is an insignificant issue currently, future zoning and
development if uncoordinated with the military could lead to future,
potentially more significant compatibility concerns not only for the Base but
also for the City.
Compatibility Assessment
The Air Force (AF) uses the AICUZ program to identify and model areas that
could potentially have a high risk associated with them relative to noise and
aircraft accidents. While Maxwell AFB updated its AICUZ Report in 2009, the
AF has since updated its recommendations for land uses under these high
risk areas that are associated with various military training operations.
Table 5.18‐1 outlines the recommended land uses under the specified noise
contours as of December 2015. This can be applied to the jurisdictions within
the Montgomery‐Maxwell AFB JLUS Study Area. These recommendations are
designed to assist communities in planning around active military airfields by
managing land uses to reduce the impacts from aircraft noise.
Background Report
June 2017