The Peninsula Community Planning Board is under new leadership after board members elected Point Loma resident and business owner Geoff Page as their new chairman. The board took the action after accepting the resignation of former chair Dee Wylie. Wylie officially announced her resignation during the board’s regular meeting Oct. 18, citing personal reasons.
Page received 10 votes, while Cal Jones, a Liberty Station resident and Realtor, received four.
After electing a new chair, the board heard project developments and other issues, including a presentation from San Diego Airport Authority representative Ted Anasis about the next stages of the Airport Authority’s Master Plan implementation.
Anasis announced the release of electronic copies of the phase one draft environmental impact report now available at the Point Loma Library, 3701 Voltaire St., and on CD upon request from the Airport Authority.
The Airport Authority is now in the 60-day public review period and is accepting public comment on the draft EIR. Public comments must be submitted by Nov. 30.
But the limited time to submit comments may not be enough, according to some PCPB board members.
Board members voted to send a letter to the San Diego County Airport Authority board to request that the draft EIR review process be extended from 60 days to 120 days to allow the public more time to read the voluminous report, said Lance Murphy, PCPB Airport Committee member.
“This thing is encyclopedic,” Murphy said. “How do they expect anyone, especially volunteers, to read this in 60 days?”
Anasis said the Airport Authority will communicate with the public about future airport developments through a series of public meetings called “community conversations” and through meetings with community leaders called “Leadership Dialogues.” The first meeting took place Oct. 11, with subsequent “Community Conversations,” which will be open to the public, scheduled to start early next year after public comment of the EIR has ceased.
“We have begun a series of dialogues “¦ where we are beginning to discuss the long-term vision for San Diego International Airport. ” he said.
Community leaders can participate in the next two meetings by invitation only, said Sherrie Shipely, Airport Authority representative. One of the objectives of the meetings is to gain community feedback about the long-term plans for the San Diego International Airport beyond the year 2030, she said. Meeting dates have yet to be set, she said.
As part of the efforts, the Airport Authority has launched www.sanplan.com for interested community members to glean information and submit comments.
People can use the website to communicate with the Airport Authority about the draft EIR and airport Master Plan. The EIR analyzes the impact of the additions including the addition of 10 gates at Terminal Two West, a new aircraft overnight parking apron and a parking structure, among other additions. The report analyzes the expansion both with and without the parking structure.
The continued maximization of the San Diego International Airport brought up issues of traffic and densification on the peninsula, which dominated the bulk of Thursday’s meeting during public comments.
Kathryn Rhodes, PCPB board member, reminded the board of the mayor’s density bonus ordinance that will come before the City Council Tuesday, Nov. 6. The ruling would have a significant impact on regional development.
The ordinance would give developer incentives to build more affordable housing projects, increasing the Peninsula’s population, which adds to traffic concerns, she said.
The PCPB meets on the third Thursday of the month and serves as the advisory board to the city’s Planning Commission for project developments bordered by Ocean Beach to the west, Midway area to the north and the San Diego Bay to the east. For more information, visit www.pcpb.net.