Tighter municipal controls on any expansion of the runway or other facilities at McClellan-Palomar Airport were unanimously approved Tuesday by the Carlsbad City Council.

The changes amend the city’s General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Local Coastal Program to specify and clarify code requirements and permit review procedures for development at the airport.

San Diego County, which owns the facility, has proposed long-term improvements, including lengthening the airport’s only runway, which would allow larger planes to land. City officials and residents have long opposed any increased activity in this area due to concerns about noise, air pollution and other harmful effects.

“It’s a testament to how cities should operate,” said resident Hope Nelson, a member of the group Citizens for a Friendly Airport. Like other speakers Tuesday, she thanked the City Council and staff for their extensive work on the issue, which involved several lawsuits.

The Carlsbad Planning Commission voted 6-1 last month to recommend council approval proposed changes. Commissioner Peter Merz voted no and said he mostly agreed with the county that changes within the airport’s existing boundaries are allowed under a conditional use permit issued there years ago by the city.

County officials have long argued that improvements are needed to better serve the area and keep the facility safe for the planes that already use it. Their projects are described in the updated airport master plan approved by the County Board of Supervisors on December 8, 2021.

“Development of the Palomar Airport falls within the current conditional use permit authority and federal preemption guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration,” Jamie Abbott, the county’s airport director, said Tuesday.

Carlsbad council members thanked everyone involved in the changes, which are outlined in a 192-page staff report.

“It clearly takes a lot of work,” said Councilwoman Teresa Acosta. “We understand there are county rights and FAA rights, but we also have rights.”

The airport opened at its current location in 1959, when it was moved from Del Mar to allow for the construction of Interstate 5. Carlsbad annexed the airport and surrounding properties in 1978.