Airport Planning Documents

Airport Master Plan

An airport master plan provides a road map for efficiently meeting aviation demand through the foreseeable future while preserving the flexibility necessary to respond to changing industry conditions. The original Master Plan was developed in 1988 and guided the airport through to a threshold of 50 million annual passengers. With that threshold met, an updated plan has been completed to guide development through 2030.

The goal of a master plan is to provide the framework needed to guide future airport development that allows the airport to keep pace with aviation growth and demand in a cost-effective manner, while also considering potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Master plans also provide tools to react to uncertainties by examining key trends in the aviation industry—such as changes in airline business models, improvements in technology, and shifts in local and regional economics.

Airport Layout Plan

An Airport Layout Plan (ALP) is a scaled drawing depicting existing and proposed future facilities and property necessary for the operation and development of the airport. An ALP is required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and it must be approved prior to any development. Development shown in green on the ALP represents planned future on-airport improvements. The ALP will be updated to reflect outcomes of the most recent Master Plan.

Environmental Assessment

An Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates the potential environmental impacts—both positive and negative—of proposed plans, policies, or projects before a decision is made to proceed. For actual projects, this is often referred to as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), while strategic plans and programs undergo a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

These assessments ensure that environmental factors are considered in decision-making. According to the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), an EIA is "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made."

EIAs do not prescribe specific environmental outcomes but instead require decision-makers to incorporate environmental values into their decisions and justify those decisions through comprehensive analysis and public input.