Unanimously approved by the Alameda City Council, representatives of CLASS (Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity), and the Port of Oakland Board of Port Commissioners, the Settlement Agreement was reached after months of collaborative negotiation following the release of the Port of Oakland’s Final Environmental Impact Report in 2024. It directly responds to Alameda and CLASS community feedback regarding potential increases in noise, air pollution, safety risks, and traffic congestion.
The project includes the demolition of the Terminal 1 Ticketing and Baggage Claim Building and the construction of a new, modern terminal with a net increase of up to 16 gates that meets modern safety, seismic, and efficiency standards. Importantly, the project does not include an increase in the number of flights or changes to the runways.
CLASS, representing approximately 3,000 households in the Community of Harbor Bay Isle on Bay Farm Island, was a key partner in negotiating the Agreement, leveraging their 30-year history of engagement regarding airplane noise and safety with the Oakland Airport Noise Office and Oakland Airport Operations.
The Settlement Agreement contains more than 20 terms and provides enforceable and tangible measures to mitigate the project’s potential impacts. Key benefits include: an improved airport noise management plan for airplanes at OAK that also avoids construction during evenings and early morning hours where feasible and noise monitoring and attenuation during construction phases. Other benefits include traffic control planning measures that address roadway congestion in Alameda from users of the airport, including directing traffic away from Alameda using signage, navigation tools, and road design, air quality monitoring and reporting to address air pollution concerns, and ongoing commitment by the Port to comply with all prior settlement agreements and to cooperate with the City and CLASS to address any future noise impacts from the new terminal.
“We are deeply appreciative of the continued partnership with CLASS and the City of Alameda and the joint commitment to finding common ground,” said Kristi McKenney, executive director of the Port of Oakland. “This is an important step as we seek to modernise the airport and be responsive to the needs of our local communities.”
Local people were concerned about the noise implications of the expansion
