Mt. Soledad about respect, not religion
I heartily agree with Walt Tice’s letter about Mt Soledad. His answer would solve two problems. It would no longer be a religious matter, and it would show these men and women we are grateful for their sacrifice. It would be a tiny piece of earth to call their own, a place to come to relax and bring their mementoes and show their children they did not die in vain. Mr. Tice, it is a wonderful idea and thank you for sharing it. I for one hope the powers that be will cede it to the Veterans.
Ada Powers, Point Loma
Why not East Miramar?
As a 20-year REALTOR and an alternate for the community planning groups on the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan’s Technical Advisory Group, it has been amazing to learn that most of the community groups and businesses surrounding Miramar (biotech, high tech, etc.) have not even heard of the East Miramar/East Elliott Proposal for the airport. As far as ‘impact’ from noise, overflight, business expansion ‘compatibility,’ impact with existing operations or even traffic, the implications are minute, if any, and the benefits, great.
Mr. Craver, in a recent meeting with representatives from a 750-participant county-wide interest group admitted that, “we are not locked in at the West Miramar location.” So why is the Media or the Airport Authority not looking at other locations on this ‘23,000+ acre property,’ surrounded by tens of thousands of ‘buffer acres’ all around it? Is ‘vacant, undeveloped land,’ recently acquired by developers, for some reason not ‘open to eminent domain,’ as well? Why not?
The ‘costs’ for ‘moving it’ are routine for them, costing between $1.50 and $10/yard. One developer “moved 700,000 yards for one 40-acre housing project.” There is much to gain for all of San Diego with a real international airport. There is also much that we will lose, without one. If anything, the “Other Ballot Language’ should include: “*or portion of Miramar” after: “the prospect of Miramar…*becoming available as a site for a future commercial airport…” In this manner, a probable site can be evaluated in terms of the future airport’s ‘compatibility’ with our military as well as our communities. The FAA can be asked to evaluate flight paths and air space levels with a minimum of operational changes to the military and benefits can be clearly identified for all parties concerned.
For example, without an airport at Miramar, our transportation system will continue to gridlock, especially at this already congested corridor as tract housing developers have already purchased “20,000 acres around Miramar.” Instead of a Federally- funded (initial tracks) real transit system to our county’s 18 cities at a central hub, we will have 180,000 to 580,000 new housing units and accompanying population and an average of 600,000 more cars on those roads (based on 9 to 29 units/acre of developer ‘smart growth’) with no increased ‘transit.’ Does anyone think we need to spend more time in traffic? Or that, because 90% of our 3,000,000 population’s cargo needs (4,125,000 by 2035) must travel through this ‘bottleneck’ by diesel truck, that our costs for food, goods, parts & international trade to access LAX or Ontario’s Airports won’t increase substantially? This ‘transportation hub’ could be what makes us ‘the model’ for California and our nation. Or think of the environmental ‘costs’ of the increased diesel pollution.
Let’s make this minor change to the Business model’s language, then put the new language on the Ballot. No one can know the future, but at least it gives all parties a real option in looking out for the interests of our entire county. We must gain our own ‘stability’ in incomes and not rely on the air traffic capabilities or incapabilities of other cities (and ‘give away’ jobs and profits) for our future.
Cynthia Conger, Peninsula Community Planning Board Chair
