Master Plan Update (pdf) - Lansing/Capital City Airport

Capital Region Airport Authority
Capital City Airport Master Plan Update
has naturally declined to a state of dilapidation. The facility has exceeded its designed capacity for
personnel and equipment, and as the Airport continues to increase in traffic and provided services,
new, advanced equipment and technology will be needed, which may not be feasible to install in
the current tower. Future development, such as runway extensions, additional runways and
taxiways, a new terminal building and commercial aircraft parking apron, also present the need to
relocate or raise the ATCT for site requirements.
As a result of the above, a cursory siting analysis, utilizing the basic criteria included in the FAA’s
Order 6480.4, Airport Traffic Control Tower Siting Criteria, has been prepared to select and
evaluate several potential locations for a replacement ATCT. The principal concern for the
selection of any ATCT location is visibility to critical portions of the traffic pattern and the airfield, in
particular the runways and the approach surfaces, as well as other movement areas, such as
taxiways and taxilanes. Secondary considerations include the typical direction of sight from the
ATCT, the location of the ATCT relative to approaches, missed approach paths, traffic patterns and
the location of the facility relative to both existing and planned development on and off the airport.
An additional concern relative to the location of a future ATCT is the FAA’s “300 foot rule”, which
requires that ATCT facilities be located such that there are no other parking lots, structures or
roadways other than those required for the ATCT within 300 feet of the Tower, thus provided
sufficient physical security around the ATCT. These requirements, intended to prevent, or at least
restrict the ability of, an attack on the facility further complicate the siting process.
There are several potential locations suitable for an ATCT, as depicted on Exhibit 4-9, all of which
meet the general criteria promulgated by the FAA for locating such facilities. It is recommended
that an independent siting study including further analysis, such as line-of-site and shadow studies,
be conducted in order to determine the best possible height and location of a new tower. However,
for the benefit of this analysis, and in light of the proposed sequence of events that would lead to
the development of the various facilities, terminals and runways detailed within this Master Plan, it
is recommended that adequate space be reserved within the existing passenger terminal area –
auto parking lot for the development of a replacement ATCT.
This site offers the best short and long term solution for the ATCT based on known conditions and
the proposed developments, including the long-term prospect of a second parallel runway north of
the proposed new mid field terminal location. However, it does assume that the sequence of
development will allow for the construction of the new ATCT after the development of a new
passenger terminal. Should that sequence be proven to be unacceptable, alternative locations
should be investigated. And, regardless of that potentiality, the previously mentioned site selection
studies must be completed in order to validate this and the other potential locations.
Alternatives 4-30 Final