Would Be Almost Directly On Extended Centerline Less Than Half A Mile From The Threshold

The City of Indio, CA is looking at the possibility of building an inpatient hospital about a half-mile from the threshold of Runway 10-28 of Bermuda Dunes Airport (KUDD) almost directly on the extended centerline of the runway.

The California Pilots Association reports on their blog that the construction would ignore the determination of the Riverside Airport Land Use Commission's (ALUC) determination that the hospital is an "incompatible activity" with the airport.

According to the CPA: "California law mandates each county maintain and ALUC charged with evaluating the compatibility of municipal plans and development with each Airport Influence Area, the region generally contained within a 2 mile radius around each runway end. The assessment is performed by comparing the project's physical dimensions and intended use to the standards contained in the California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook.

"Armed with the ALUPH as their guide, the Riverside ALUC determined that placing an inpatient hospital in that specific location relative to the airport runway and approach/departure corridors is not a compatible use of the land. Nonetheless, over the course of the past 6 months, exposing their desire to see this hospital built at any cost, the Indio City Council has made multiple efforts to recast the project in any way possible, including citing that the hospital isn't a "real hospital" because it doesn't have an Emergency Room."

The association reports that the Indio City Council is set to overrule the ALUC's decision. The issue was on the agenda for a council meeting Wednesday night.

FMI: Original report