The Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB) adopted five action items on May 15 related to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s proposed expansion of Lindbergh Field as residents took to the podium to again convey conern and opposition.
Prior to discussion and adoption of the items, and during the public comment portion of the meeting, a dozen citizens spoke in opposition to the expansion of the airport, citing safety, noise, traffic and environmental impact.
Several speakers urged PCPB members to be guarded about too quickly acquiescing to the Airport Authority’s plans for a massive new parking complex and 10 new gates at Terminal 2.
Others said they feared that an overly cooperative or docile PCPB might silence the voices and concerns of Peninsula residents.
There was no testimony in favor of the airport expansion.
Resident Lance Murphy, a former chair of the PCPB’s Airport Committee, was among those voicing concern. Murphy formed SANNoise.org, a grass-roots organization that, according to its Web site, “would like the Airport Authority to demonstrate some respect for the communities impacted by the planned growth of Lindbergh Field.”
The comments came just prior to adoption of the action items set forth by board member Suhail Khalil, who currently chairs the board’s Airport Committee.
The adopted items were:
“¢ On Friday, May 30 at 9 a.m. the 14 members of the PCPB will tour East Elliott at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. According to Khalil, the purpose of the tour “is to understand the reason the military objects to a commercial operating facility” at Miramar. Bounded by MCAS to the north and west, State Route 52 and Mast Boulevard to the south and the city of Santee to the east, East Elliott is undeveloped and is the site of the Sycamore Landfill and a few telecommunication antennas.
“¢ On Thursday, June 19, the next regularly scheduled PCPB meeting, a representative from the Airport Authority is expected to speak on the airport’s impact-mitigation monitoring.
“¢ On Thursday, Sept. 25, a board member from the Airport Authority and representatives from Caltrans and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System are invited to speak to PCPB members and the community about the proposed airport master plan implementation and regional transit plan at the Hervey/Point Loma Branch Library. According to Khalil, the speaker from the Airport Authority will be either the Airport Authority’s chair, Alan D. Bersin, or president/CEO Thella F. Bowens. Khalil said Sept. 25 is the first available date for members of the Airport Authority.
“¢ Paul Grimes will act as an advisor from the community to PCPB on airport matters. “Grimes is an expert in the field of aviation and underlying airport operations,” Khalil said. “He will be able to provide expertise in the political arena in relocating the airport.” He added that Grimes was the only person who “submitted interest” in the advisory role.
“¢ Khalil will represent PCPB on the Airport Authority’s recently formed ad hoc committee.
Khalil said that earlier in the day he had attended a meeting of the ad hoc committee, the second such gathering of the group since it was formed by the Airport Authority. Khalil said a general from the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot presented “either Bersin or Mayor Jerry Sanders with a letter stating that the military had no intentions of leaving MCRD.”
On May 1 the Airport Authority’s board of directors unanimously approved an environmental study and master plan at Lindbergh Field that calls for more than $650 million in possible short-term projects, including expanded taxiways and the addition of 10 gates and a 5,000-space, five-level parking garage outside Terminal 2 on Harbor Drive.
In other business, PCPB members:
“¢ Approved demolition of a one-story home at 3558 Wilcox, which will be replaced by a two-story residence.
“¢ Approved demolition of a building at 1005 Rosecrans St. The building on the site of an old gas station is to be replaced by a two-story, mixed-use project with retail and office space on the first floor and a residence on the second floor.
“¢ Approved AT&T’s installation of cellular antennas at Point Loma Nazarene University as part of a neighborhood use permit for a wireless facility.
The PCPB is currently accepting the names of individuals interested in serving out the balance of the remaining term of a recently vacated board position. The term expires March 31 of 2009.
For more information, contact Charles Mellor at 619-222-2240, or visit www.pcpb.net.