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Committee advances Sky Harbor proposal for east-side hangars at PDK after consultants model noise and emissions benefits
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Summary
Consultants told the DeKalb County operations committee that a Sky Harbor hangar campus for repositioning aircraft could reduce modeled reposition flights by roughly 921 events, yielding about a 3 dB DNL noise reduction and a modeled 50% cut in associated emissions; the committee advanced the RFP to the full Board of Commissioners with a Nov. 18 hearing and asked administration for draft contract terms and community-benefit language.
The DeKalb County operations committee moved RFP 22500625—the Eastside aviation development proposal for DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK), recommended for award to Sky Harbor LLC—out of committee for final consideration by the full Board of Commissioners on Nov. 18.
Consultant Jason Stoddard of HMMH (Harris Miller Miller & Hanson) presented a narrowed summary of a repositioning analysis using PDK flight-track data from the NAM monitoring system. He said the study defined a reposition flight as a four-leg sequence (an inbound leg from a local airport to PDK, a round trip outside the local area, then a return leg) and that HMMH conservatively modeled Sky Harbor housing up to 16 aircraft (8 hangars with two aircraft each) with an assumption that approximately 50% would be repositioning aircraft. Under that assumption the consultant reported a modeled reduction of about 921 reposition flights; using the FAA's Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) they estimated an approximate 3 dB decrease in DNL (day-night average sound level) in the modeled scenario and approximately a 50% reduction in associated emissions.
Commissioners pressed for context on what a 3 dB DNL reduction means in practice; the consultant said DNL is a 24-hour averaged metric with an extra penalty applied to noise events between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and that a 3 dB reduction is noticeable though the presenter did not provide an exact baseline dB figure in the committee presentation. Commissioners also asked whether contract terms could require newer, lower-emission aircraft or other tenancy conditions; administration said those are negotiable items for contract discussions and that staff had not yet started contract negotiations.
Commissioners asked for additional materials in advance of the full-board hearing, including a draft statement of work or contract highlights, GIS maps showing noise contours so residents can see proximity to modeled noise, and explicit community-benefit commitments (noise mitigation funding, sustainability measures such as electric ground-support equipment and sustainable fuel targets). Administration indicated it could provide a general statement of work before the Nov. 18 meeting and recommended holding a town-hall prior to the vote to present details to the public.
The committee approved a motion to advance the item out of committee for final hearing/vote at the Nov. 18 Board of Commissioners meeting. The transcript records the committee asking staff to return with contract particulars and community-benefit language prior to full-board consideration.
