Real Estate & Property Law

Noise Mitigation in Warwick

By Alan Ackerman

Warwick Beacon

RIAC's most recent proposal to expand the main runway to 8,700 feet, while not the city's preferred option, has been the most reasonable to date. However, contrary to their assertions, RIAC and the FAA have continued to minimize and marginalize Warwick's very real, reasonable and legitimate concerns. To compound this issue, RIAC has publicly misrepresented through the media and at several community meetings that it is close to an agreement with the city regarding issues related to the 8,700 proposal.

The following are included among the issues that RIAC and the FAA have failed to address:

Home acquisitions: RIAC continues to proclaim that only 11 properties will need to be acquired as part of the 8,700-foot proposal, when, in reality, this figure represents only the mandatory condemnation necessary for the Main Avenue roadway relocation. In fact, in excess of 220 homes will be targeted for takings for runway safety and noise purposes under FAA standards. The fact of the matter is that the actual loss of homes is far greater than that claimed by RIAC officials.

This is compounded by the fact that RIAC is still acquiring homes under previous programs that began some six years ago, leaving residents in the dark as to when their homes will be taken and unwilling and unable to plan for ordinary home expenses and repairs. In addition, persons whose homes were slated for taking have had to remain exposed to the continuous, deleterious effects of the airport's operational activities. Also troubling is that a disproportionate number of the homes impacted (91 percent) by the runway expansion are considered affordable and RIAC has no plan to replace this finite housing stock.

This is a well thought article by the Mayor of the City of Warwick. The City of Warwick apparently surrounds the main airport in Rhode Island.  The problems of noise mitigation, eminent domain (condemnation), affordable housing for the residents and fair treatment of businesses is of paramount import.

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on September 02, 2009 (boomark / email).