For roughly five years, Point Loma resident Chip Owen has been dealing with a noisy dilemma.
On any given morning over the corner of Catalina Avenue and Point Loma Boulevard, at about 7:20 a.m., a Federal Express plane flies over the neighborhood. Owen, a 14-year resident, said that although his home isn’t in the designated flight path, the massive plane often roars over his home when it’s not supposed to.
“What are you going to do to stop the noise?” Owen asked representatives of the Airport Authority at a community meeting on Dec. 3.
Other community members posed similarly poignant comments and questions to Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning and the Airport Authority’s host for the meeting.
The meeting rounds out the last in a series of community meetings the Airport Authority has been hosting throughout the city since October.
The meetings addressed the first phase of the airport master plan and draft environmental impact report for the maximization of the San Diego International Airport, said Wilschetz. The EIR includes the impact of the construction on 10 additional gates at Terminal 2, an aircraft-parking apron and a transit center, among a host of other additions. The public comment period for the draft EIR concludes on Feb. 4.
Wilschetz said the Airport Authority’s plan to maximize Lindbergh field also includes the construction of a new taxiway, a parking structure and the reconfiguration of parts of Pacific Highway near the airport as part of phase 1 of the airport master plan.
The next step toward a longer-term master plan include a “visioning” process that includes a study to determine what the future holds for air transportation starting this week, he said.
“We’ll meet with a consultant to figure out what this airport can do,” he said.
While the draft EIR examines the impact of the airport improvements out to the year 2015, the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, asked Airport Authority representatives to calculate the effects out to the year 2030, he said.
SANDAG made the request so they could incorporate the information in the long-term transportation plans from SANDAG, which extend to the year 2030, he said.
The meeting drew serious questions from the crowd of more than 80 residents and community members. They asked about noise, traffic, safety and the long-term plans for the airport.
Lance Murphy, a Point Loma resident and a Peninsula Community Planning Board representative on the Airport Noise Advisory Committee, said the current plan doesn’t meet Lindbergh Field’s future needs as it will reach full capacity within 5 to 10 years.
“So ultimately the question is: What’s the plan?” he said. “Don’t tell us what the fiscal master plan [is]. This is a stopgap plan.”
Murphy said the long-term demand on the airport would force the Airport Authority or other governing body to look for another runway on or near Lindbergh Field.
Wilschetz said that while there are no plans for the construction of a second runway at Lindbergh Field, the Airport Authority will collaborate with SANDAG and other governing agencies to come up with a comprehensive long-range plan that includes about 12 civilian airports in the county.
The plan comes partly as the result of state legislation signed by the Governor Schwarzenegger and authored by Sen. Christine Kehoe that requires regional governments to come up with a comprehensive airport transportation plan.
Although future plans may solve some problems, residents said they have big concerns right now. Kathleen Blavatt, a Point Loma resident and former City Council candidate, said her primary concern is safety.
“[I] do not trust the Airport Authority because over and over again they have told us one thing and done another. Flight paths haven’t been where they should be,” she said.
She said the cumulative effects of increased traffic could pose a danger during a major emergency. She noted the lack of major hospitals in Point Loma. One of the closest major hospitals is the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest, she said.
The San Diego Regional Airport Authority manages daily airport operations of the San Diego International Airport at Lindbergh Field. They also serve as the region’s Land Use Commission concerning the county’s 16 civilian and military airports.
For more information visit www.sanplan.com.