Airport Noise Update from the Arlington County Board - FAA Public Comment Period

March 2nd, 2020

Dear Members of the Arlington Community,

To follow up on our recent email about the new north-bound departing flight procedure (HOLTB) at DCA that went into effect on January 31, 2020, I am writing to let you know that the FAA recently informed us that they have opened a public comment period for HOLTB that closes on March 30, 2020.

Many of you may have already submitted complaints about the HOLTB change.  Unfortunately, it seems prior complaints about the effects of this change will not be officially considered by the FAA in this study.  Therefore, we are asking you, even if you have already registered a complaint, to please do so again with the next noise disturbance you experience.  Comments should be submitted to the following email address:  9-ATO-DCA-HOLTB-SID-Comments@faa.gov.  Don’t hesitate to copy us (countyboard@arlingtonva.us) on the email as well.

This email address may also be accessed directly on the FAA website at the following URL:  https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/community_involvement/dca_p56.  Click on the “Submit Your Comments” button on the FAA webpage to submit your comments.

The following documentation associated with the flight procedure is also available at the same URL:

• Graphics for DCA
• Categorical Exclusion
• Letters to the Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia State Historic Preservation Offices
• Noise Screening Analysis Report
• Notice of Availability and Comment Period

County staff will be reviewing all published documentation with the Board and County Manager to inform next steps and a future course of action, in addition to submitting written comments in opposition to the flight procedure.  We strongly encourage all community members who are negatively impacted by this new flight procedure to submit comments to the FAA before March 30, 2020.

I truly believe that public protest about these flight changes should help us in making progress to resolve this difficult and frustrating issue.  Additionally, as you know, we have hired a consultant jointly with Montgomery County to help us work with the FAA to, hopefully, roll back these changes and mitigate airplane noise in general.  We hope to have a community meeting with the consultant this spring.  Finally,  Arlington County is working closely with Congressman Beyer’s office on this matter.  His office has been very vocal about aircraft noise for several years.  We continue to look for partners in our efforts to reduce airplane noise.

Please share this information with any of your neighbors who are experiencing aircraft noise issues.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of residents registering their complaints about this matter.  We will continue to update you whenever we have new information, and we thank you for your engagement in this matter.

Sincerely,

Libby Garvey, Chair
Arlington County Board