Have Charlotte airport noise concerns? How to be heard at final community meetings

Desiree Mathurin
·4 min read

Next week will be the public’s final chance to weigh in on the Charlotte airport’s plan to mitigate noise pollution in the surrounding areas.

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19, Charlotte Douglas International Airport will host informational sessions and public hearings on its proposed updated Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study.

The study is a requirement of the Federal Aviation Administration that determines whether an area is “compatible” with airplane noise levels. Through the study, the airport will create a noise exposure map, identifying areas affected by airplane noise and a compatibility program that will recommend ways to reduce noise impact and limit additional issues for the future.

The last compatibility study was completed in 1987 but the airport’s noise map and program were updated in 1996 and 1998. The noise exposure map was further updated in 2015.

In March 2022, the city of Charlotte committed to updating the study amid talks of constructing a fourth runway and the general growth of the facility. The city owns the airport, which is an American Airlines hub and one of the busiest in the world.

Since 2022, the airport has hosted two rounds of community meetings surrounding the study. Next week’s meetings will be the third.

Complaints about Charlotte airport noise

In the proposed study, the airport said it received 316,279 complaints about noise between Jan. 1, 2020, and May 30, 2024. That averages out to 264 complaints every day during that period.

About 1,000 people submitted more than one complaint.

An airplane from nearby Charlotte Douglas International Airport flies over Steele Creek Presbyterian Church on Friday. The church, founded when North Carolina was still a British colony, is the second oldest house of worship in Mecklenburg County. But to stay alive, this 257-year-old church may soon have to decide to give up its land, maybe even its name. The thoroughly modern reason: Its close proximity to the ever-expanding airport, which has its eye on the property that’s been home to the church since Scots-Irish settlers had their first worship service there in 1760.

Most of the complaints centered around airplane noise, but other issues included aircraft altitude, frequency of overflights, disturbance of speech, disturbance of sleep, vibration, early morning or late night flights, and helicopter overflights.

According to the FAA, “noise incompatibilities” are considered homes and noise-sensitive public spaces such as schools, churches and hospitals that sit in an area where noise from the airport reaches 65 decibels or higher. That sound level can be compared to the babble in an office space.

To determine noise levels, sounds are measured day and night and then averaged. If an area hits that 65 decibel level or higher, mitigation measures need to be taken.

Rezoning, sound insulation and buyouts

Since the airport completed the initial study, it has spent more than $120 million on decreasing noise impact, according to the airport’s website. That includes home buyouts, noise abatement measures such as sound insulation, and rezoning properties to commercial or manufacturing spaces, which are compatible with the airport.

The website adds that about 1,000 homes, six churches and three schools received sound insulation. About 400 properties in high-noise areas were purchased by the airport.

The buyouts and rezonings have been a concern for residents in the nearby Steele Creek neighborhood, who say the airport’s growth is slowly encroaching on their community with little communication. The airport plans to turn the southern area into a manufacturing hub. Airport staff previously said mitigation efforts such as buyouts are voluntary.

Plans in the proposed study include similar mitigation measures, but the study needs to be approved by the FAA before additional actions are taken.

The overall goal is to reduce noise levels, reduce “noise-sensitive development” and “provide mitigation measures that are sensitive to the needs of the community and its stability.” This will happen as long as the mitigation actions are feasible, according to the airport.

Charlotte airport meeting details

The meetings will be open-house style with informational boards set up throughout the space. The same information will be presented at both meetings. Airport staff and noise consultants will be available for questions.

Wednesday’s meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, 5301 Wilkinson Blvd. Thursday’s meeting will be at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte at 4800 South Tryon St. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The deadline to submit comments on the study is Oct. 4 by 6 p.m. Comments can be submitted online at this website or through email to CLTPart150@landrumbrown.com.

They can also be submitted via mail to Gaby Elizondo, Landrum & Brown at 4445 Lake Forest Drive, Suite 700, Cincinnati, OH 45242.

The proposed study update is available online and paper copies are available, upon request, at these locations:

  • CLT Center, 5601 Wilkinson Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28208

  • Steele Creek Library Branch, 13620 Steele Creek Road, Charlotte, NC 28273

  • Mountain Island Library Branch, 4420 Hoyt Galvin Way, Charlotte, NC 28214

  • West Boulevard Library Branch, 2157 West Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208

  • Belmont Branch Library, 125 N Central Ave., Belmont, NC 28012

  • Hickory Grove Library, 5935 Hickory Grove Road, Charlotte, NC 28215

  • South Park Regional, 7015 Carnegie Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28211

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