Peninsula residents and neighbors affected by Lindbergh Field have come together under the banner of SanNoise, a grassroots community organization interested in dealing with the problems caused by the San Diego International Airport, according to Lance Murphy, a Peninsula resident and SanNoise co-founder.
Formed about two years ago by Murphy and other neighbors, the group has about 500 members made up of residents concerned about jet noise and other airport issues, Murphy said.
The group is scheduled to meet Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Hervey/Point Loma Branch Library, 3701 Voltaire St., from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Part of the goal of SanNoise is to help the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority find a long-term viable solution for linking Lindbergh Field and other airports in the region as San Diego’s main hub reaches capacity in the next 7 to 10 years, he said.
“Our hope is to have a rational plan [for Lindbergh Field] and long-term direction, and that the airport recognizes its responsibilities to the communities that surround it,” Murphy said. “The Airport Authority doesn’t have a long-term plan and they have given up looking for a new [airport] site.”
Murphy said three main issues hover over the community and the airport’s relations as it begins reaching capacity: safety, traffic and noise.
He said a confluence of forces could create a dangerous situation in the future. As more planes continue to the take off and land at Lindbergh Field ” a probable scenario given the current plans for airport expansion ” the higher the chances for a collision or accident.
He said aircraft already regularly change flight paths to clear space for other planes as they take off and land, which Murphy said is something that should not have to occur often in an airport with plenty of space.
As planes take off on different paths, this creates noise over areas on the southern end of the Peninsula, another no-no that the Airport Authority has yet to fully address, said Murphy.
The scenario Murphy foresees ” if the Airport Authority board does not take action ” is a crowded one.
With a 5,000-car parking structure and airport transit center in the works, traffic along North Harbor Drive is only going to increase, he said.
Heavy traffic would send more cars into the Peninsula, jamming up Nimitz Boulevard and other smaller streets that people already use as alternate routes to avoid crowded thoroughfares, he said.
Murphy said he hopes community members and Airport Authority leaders would seriously consider and respond to any feedback from the community when developing long-term plans.
“It’s a catch-22,” Murphy said. “The Airport Authority is doing everything it can to meet the demands of the community “¦ but it’s irrational to do it without a long-term plan.”
The Airport Authority currently has scheduled meetings with community leaders to figure out a long-term plan during the public comment period of the draft environmental impact report.
The next Airport Authority meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12 at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina, 1590 Harbor Island Drive. The meeting is not open to the public, according to airport officials.
The Airport Authority is currently accepting public comment on the EIR report through Monday, Feb. 4.
Comments may be submitted to Airport Planning, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, P.O. Box 82776, San Diego, CA 92138-2776.
Comments less than 2,000 words can be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].