NO EXPANSION OF LINDBERGH FIELD

By Ian Trowbridge

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority have proposed a ridulous plan to construct a second runway at Lindbergh Field. I strongly oppose a plan that displaces thousands of residents and exposes thousands more to excessive noise.

As of June 2005, three "concepts" remain under active consideration, expansion of Lindbergh Field (concept 6), the Campo site and the Imperial desert site.  A fourth site at Borrego has not been eliminated but is not being actively studied currently.  Presumably, after the base closure decisions by BRAC all military sites will be eliminated at the next meeting of the Airport Authority.  These choices are based on technical requirements for a two-runway airport and do not take into account the economic, environmental or community impacts of the airport site even though they are unacceptable for the Lindbergh site.  This seems to make this selection process an expensive and futile exercise.

The minutes of the June 30, 2005 public working group meeting of the Airport Authority linked as Appendix I are particularly revealing.

The following quotes are taken from that meeting:

"However, the final concept Mr. Wellman reviewed, concept 6, is being considered a viable option for detailed analysis. This concept includes two runways + expanding the existing runway to 13,400 feet and adding a second parallel runway to the north with 4,300 foot separation. Mr. Wellman explained that while this concept addressed many of the terrain and airspace issues that the other concepts did not, it is still not the perfect site nor does it provide for perfect operation. It would require significant acquisition of surrounding commercial and residential land, approximately 2,000 acres that is made up of just less than 600 acres of commercial industrial, 120 of institutional and 800 acres of residential, with the remainder falling into other categories. Mr. Wellman reported that the population within the required area of acquisition is 18,600 residents."

"He further noted that the technical team recognizes that there are huge challenges with the concept including land acquisition, social impacts, environmental impacts and some operational concerns, that will need to be analyzed and addressed further."

"Public Working Group Member Colonel Greg Goodman asked if the 2,000 acres and 18,000 residents expected to be affected by concept 6 of the Lindbergh site included additional potential noise impacted residents. Mr. Wellman confirmed that those figures did not include noise impacted residents...added that this issue will be further addressed during the noise analysis."

"Ms. Shafer-Payne stated that staff does not anticipate having EIR level detail prior to the ballot initiative."

So there we have it-Lindbergh Field (concept 6) is being studied in a vacuum that does not consider the taking of 2,000 acres and  the displacement of 18,600 District 2 residents with thousands more impacted by noise.  In fact, an environmental impact report (EIR) will not be ready before the ballot initiative.

Under the circumstances how can the Regional Airport Authority be taken seriously?

Its supporters are the usual suspects who are for economic progress even if the planning is incomplete and flawed- Julie Meier-Wright  and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce (see letters to the Union-Tribune, Appendix II).

This decision is easy--No to expansion of Lindbergh Field.