Dearborn (WWJ)  -- Not everyone is happy, but a compromise has been reached concerning a fifth parellel runway at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus.  

The Wayne County Airport Authority approved an agreement that sets up a Future Airport Layout Plan and a second Ultimate Airport Layout Plan.  

The future plan includes projects to be completed by 2016.  The fifth runway is not on that plan at this time.   
 
Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert told WWJ's Florence Walton he's pleased with the plan because there won't be a runway or land acquisition for at least eight years

"We believe for the next eight years there won't be anything there which is good. Then after eight years we'll look at it again," Lambert said.  

A proposal, tabled by the Authority twice earlier this year, called for more than three-thousand homes to be demolished to make room for the new runway.  Some residents at Thursdays meeting said the delay doesn't do anything to prop up their property values. 

Under the new deal, brokered with the help of Congressman John Dingell who represents residents in the area,  the Ultimate Airport Layout Plan will detail future projects – including the potential for a 5th parallel runway and all associated land acquisition.

The agreement says implementation of the projects will be demand driven.  If the airport plans to move the runway timeline to before 2016,  executives would have to first demonstrate a need for it and follow Federal Aviation Administration procedure for a layout plan update.

“I think the citizens who live around the airport can feel very good about the proposal,” said Congressman Dingell in a statement. “They should be pleased by the work done by the airport and the community leaders who took part in the talks. Everyone came to the table looking to make sure that both the needs of the communities and the Airport were considered when planning any future airport development."

The airport estimates it would need 1,000 acres of land to build and operate the fifth runway and the adjacent taxiways.