Tweed New Haven Airport Authority Draft Environmental Assessment Done

EAST HAVEN, CT —The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority completed a 206-page draft airport Environmental Assessment and submitted it to the Federal Aviation Administration this week.

Tweed's plans to expand the airport, which it notes is "aimed at allowing the airport to more fully serve the needs of southern Connecticut and its economy," covers both the extension of the airport’s runway as well as the construction of a modern terminal. It was conducted by HVN with the support of national aviation consulting firm McFarland Johnson.

“Completion of this Environmental Assessment marks another successful milestone in our work
to enhance HVN and fully realize a $100-plus million investment in southern Connecticut that will
create more than 1,147 direct jobs, in addition to the more than 300 jobs already created in the
last year and a half,” said Jorge Roberts, CEO of Avports CEO Jorge Roberts was quoted as saying.

“The airport will continue to see additional activity in the coming years, and the draft assessment makes clear that this project would reduce the airport’s overall environmental impact to the region as that growth occurs.”

New Tweed New Haven Airport Authority executive director Thomas Rafter said in a news release that the Authority is "committed to ensuring that this expansion is executed in an environmentally sustainable manner."

Praising Avports, he said the Authority looks "forward to continuing to work with our partners and neighbors in the community to make this vision a reality.”

In a statement, East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora said town officials are disappointed that the FAA did not immediately order the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this major airport project."

State Sen. Christine Cohen, Save The Sound, Friends of Farm River Estuary, and the town urged the agency to mandate an in-depth environmental impact study. The Environmental Assessment is a much less detailed study, they noted. Read that full story here.

But, Carfora is encouraging "all interested parties" to read the draft EA, and to attend the scheduled public meeting on the assessment April 1 at East Haven High School.

"While we are disappointed that the FAA did not immediately order the preparation of an EIS for this major airport project, as we and many other parties requested, the FAA is required to consider public comments on this draft EA, and ultimately decide whether an EIS is required. Our mission of course is to protect the citizens of East Haven, and ensure that all aspects of this massive proposed expansion and relocation of the airport into East
Haven are fully and fairly considered," Carfora said.

The mayor said he's "directed my team, including the experts we have hired, to undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of the draft EA and appendices."

"We will prepare and submit detailed, substantive comments that address the Town's concerns and expect that the FAA will recognize the apparent material impacts on the community and, as required by Federal Law, undertake the full-scale EIS that is mandated for this significant project," he said.

The FAA said last year that once the Environmental Assessment was done, a decision would be made if in fact the more extensive Environmental Impact Statement is needed.

As reported by Patch beginning in May 2021, the airport's expansion calls for moving its terminal to the East Haven side of its property while extending its runway by more than 1,000 feet. The Airport Authority and the city of New Haven inked a 43-year lease in 2021, and in August, the deal was sealed between Goldman Sachs-owned Avports and the Authority, over East Haven's strong objections. Read that story here.

Read the voluminous environmental assessment here:

Tweed New Haven Airport dra... by Ellyn Santiago

In a news release, Tweed said the "EA makes clear that the planned project would improve the airport’s future environmental impact."

The airport pointed to "notable findings."

• NOISE: Extending the runway and relocating the terminal reduces overall noise by
reducing the number of total necessary flights1 and shifting aircraft ground noise further
from residences; HVN will also extend its ongoing Residential Sound Insulation Program to include additional homes that would otherwise be significantly impacted by aircraft noise.

• AIR QUALITY: The air quality analysis found that by relocating the terminal and
extending the runway HVN and its airline partners can reduce overall impact on air quality when compared to doing nothing, with potential air emissions from the construction, forecasted operations, and changes in vehicle trips associated with expansion expected to be well below thresholds set by the EPA

• WETLANDS: The new terminal is proposed within the footprint of a closed runway and
taxiway field. The impact on undisturbed wetlands has been intentionally minimized to
less than 0.2 acres, and expansion would include mitigation measures implemented to achieve the overall policy goal of “no net loss."

• WILDLIFE: Impact to wildlife and plant life has been reduced to less than federal and
local thresholds; the project site contains no critical habitats for threatened or
endangered species as designated by the state or federal government.

• TRAFFIC: Expansion would not significantly impact current driver experience as studied
across 11 key intersections.7 A new traffic signal and intersection improvements would
be provided at the intersection of Proto Drive and Coe Ave.

This story is part of a series on the Tweed New Haven Airport expansion.

Read more here>>

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Avelo Airlines Commits $1.2M For Tweed Airport Improvements

Tweed Airport's New Airline Avelo To Offer Non-Stop Flights To FL

Mayor Currently Opposes Tweed Terminal Expansion Into East Haven

UPDATE: Tweed Tensions Mount, Mayor Says There's History Of Mistrust

Tweed New Haven Airport 43-Year Lease With Avports Approved By Board

Council To Hire Law Firm, Advisors To Help Navigate Tweed 'Strategy'