San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's ‘Quieter Home Program' Celebrates 5,000 Sound-Insulated Homes

By Debbie L. Sklar, Times of San Diego

December 6, 2022

San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is celebrating the completion of 5,000 sound-insulated homes through its Quieter Home Program.

The Quieter Home Program is San Diego International Airport’s residential sound insulation program in which certain residences around SAN, as determined by the Federal Aviation Administration, may be eligible for sound insulation treatments to mitigate aircraft noise.

Eligible homes may receive retrofitted exterior doors and windows, installation of a ventilation system, and other items such as weather stripping and caulking around openings, reducing noise levels by at least five decibels inside the home, and providing a noticeable noise reduction.

Since its inception, the Quieter Home Program has retrofitted 5,000 single-family and multi-family residences immediately east and west of the airport, including the neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, South Park, and Golden Hill.

“Reaching this milestone is a tremendous accomplishment for our community, the Quieter Home Program team, and its contractors,” said Kimberly Becker, Airport Authority president & CEO. “Through grants provided by the FAA, our Quieter Home Program has made significant progress in reducing aircraft noise impacts in the communities most impacted. I would like to congratulate the QHP team on reaching 5,000 completed homes.”

In September 2021, the Airport Authority received two airport safety and infrastructure grants through the FAA for noise mitigation measures totaling $25.9 million.

The grants marked the largest annual amount given to the Airport Authority by the FAA for the Quieter Home Program and one of the largest annual amounts provided to any airport nationwide.

The $25.9 million is being used toward sound-insulating approximately 400 to 500 homes per year, depending on the size of the homes. QHP recently expanded to sound-insulating non-residential facilities; a portion of this grant will treat two church and preschool facilities in the areas most impacted by aircraft noise. It is estimated that once this program component is fully initiated, one non-residential noise-sensitive property will be able to be sound-insulated per year.

The Airport Authority encourages area residents to see if their homes or non-residential facilities can benefit from the Quieter Home Program by visiting san.org/airportnoise.

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