The Airport Authority is required by state law to place a particular airport site recommendation on a county-wide election ballot no later than Nov. 7, 2006.
The ballot language proposed by the Airport Authority, Proposition A, is based on three compelling facts:
Fact No. 1. Lindbergh Field will not meet San Diego’s future air transportation needs.
Fact No. 2. No other potential site except Miramar will work. It is not only the best solution, it is the only solution.
Fact No. 3. With changing leaders and changing world conditions, no military planning 15 to 20 years out is set in cement.
Why will Lindbergh Field be inadequate? Lindbergh has by far the shortest, busiest single-runway in the nation.
The FAA predicts we only have 10 to 15 years before we start to experience severe congestion and delays leading to a host of problems that will drag down the economy and the quality of life of our region.
We will experience higher ticket prices, delayed flights, fewer route choices, overcrowded terminals, lost jobs and billions of dollars of economic loss as businesses, workers, tourists and conventioneers decide to choose other communities with better, more modern airports.
Lindbergh Field is on a mere 661 acres and no conceivable expansion or acquisition (including MCRD) will allow for the second parallel, independent runway which requires a separation of 4,300 feet.
Second “” Miramar is the only potential site for a new airport. During the past three years, the Airport Authority in an exhaustive search found no feasible, non-military site within 60 miles of our city center. Extensive development has simply left no close-in, non-military site.
Comprehensive market studies of potential sites show any new airport must be located no more than 25 miles from downtown. For the largest 67 cities in the United States, the average distance from downtown is 11.3 miles, with only two cities having their airports 25 miles out. Close proximity to downtown and major tourist attractions is especially important for a city where tourists and conventioneers comprise 50 percent of passenger traffic.
That leaves only three military sites. In-depth analysis of North Island shows it is not suitable. Camp Pendleton is too far from downtown at 40 miles. Only Miramar will work.
Miramar is at the exact center of current and future population, employment and the economic activity of the San Diego region. Miramar is only 12 miles from downtown. It has 23,000 acres “” 35 times larger than Lindbergh’s 661 acres.
Third “” contrary to what is being said by some, we do not want the Marines to leave Miramar. That could result in another lost opportunity such as El Toro.
Past history teaches us that the military has often changed plans to meet changing needs. We recall that during the early ’90s the Navy was adamant in declaring that they would never move any of their operations from Miramar.
Then, in less than three years, they moved “Top Gun,” the F-14 Tomcats and the E-2 Hawkeyes. There are many other instances where the military was adamant about not modifying or moving operations and later did so.
And currently, we do know the military has had a tentative plan to move the F18s from Miramar to Yuma and possibly to base the joint strike fighter there. The military will tell you this is just one of many tentative plans. At the same time, they tell the Airport Authority they will not discuss “what ifs” with us.
One thing is for sure, with changing leaders and changing world conditions, no military planning 15 to 20 years out is set in cement.
San Diego has always supported the military. Now we must ask the military to help San Diego with this extraordinary challenge. This is the meaning and spirit of Proposition A.
Lynch is a member of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority.