Mulling a Marine-less Miramar

[question everything]

Mulling a Marine-less Miramar

By ROB DAVIS
Voice Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 4, 2006

(snip)

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has a self-imposed May deadline to decide on a site for an airport to replace Lindbergh Field. The due date to submit language for the November ballot initiative is Aug. 11.

On Monday, the authority agreed to develop what-if scenarios examining what Marine Corps Air Station Miramar would look like sans Marines. The authority will study how military assets could be shifted around -- from Miramar to other area bases or possibly elsewhere within Miramar's boundaries -- to accommodate a commercial airport.

(snip)

Until now, the authority board has solely considered joint-use, which would have military and civilian aircraft sharing runways and air space. The Pentagon has flatly rejected that idea, and it remains unclear just how the authority would get control of the base. Capt. Mike Allen, chief of staff for Navy Region Southwest, the local Naval command, has repeatedly said the military won't discuss what-if scenarios. The military doesn't have plans to close Miramar, either, saying that recent rounds of base closures only affirmed its importance.

(snip)

Lynch said the authority is "locked in" to the three military sites under evaluation: Miramar, Camp Pendleton and Naval Air Station North Island. Lynch has already questioned whether problems created by wind at North Island would be too problematic. On Monday, he questioned whether Camp Pendleton would be too far away to site an airport. Lynch said options are limited. Unless the authority works something out with the military, "this area is going to suffer greatly economically," he said.

"The truth is sinking in," Lynch said. "We are between a rock and a hard place."


http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=euLTJbMUKvH&b=412359&ct=2145035

[LunaC]

1. The Pentagon has flatly rejected joint-use

The Airport Authority needs to get their head out of their asses, stop wasting money to study a fantasy with no hope of realization, and move on. Idiots!

[sdfernando]

2. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

San Diego doesn't need a new airport period. What people need to understand is that San Diego is a DESTINATION, not a jumping off point to some other location. People come here to vacation, not change planes and leave.

10s of millions of dollars have been spend over the past 30 years studying and recommending an new site for an big regional airport. How far has the airport moved in that time???....not one damn inch! So all that money has been WASTED!!! Our city is in deep financial crisis, why are we even considering this??? Its just crazy.

[AngryAmish]

3. Why not just expand the current airport?

I plead utter ignorence on the subject, but why not just buy up the neighbors and throw in a spare runway or two? That is what is happening to ORD.

[sdfernando]

4. Its not that easy

San Diego's airport is in a unique location. Less than 5 miles to downtown and situated right along the bay. It used to be bordered by the Naval Training Center and MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot). NTC was closed in a past round of base closures but MCRD is still there and the Marines have no plans to vacate it any time soon. The NTC property was sold off for development. VERY stupid move! The city lost big time in that deal if you ask me! If both NTC & MCRD were available, an additional runway could have been accommodated with not too much impact on the rest of the area. Except of course the residential areas were all against that because of increased noise (but in my opinion, if you moved there after the early 60s, you have no leg to stand on). The rest of the areas around the airport are commercial, including the main US Postal depot, and residential. San Diego cannot afford to buy up property (especially at the inflated prices here now) with our current financial condition. Personally I think we should leave well enough alone until the financial house is in order. Then we can take another look at this.

[question everything]

5. We need to move away from the mindset of flying everywhere..

if we have good dedicated rail, the way it is done in Europe.

No, the sky is not the limit, at least, not in SoCal where just adding more runways or even more airports at the same area is not going to help.

Just as Congress has funds for roads and for airports, it has to allocate funds for rail - bullet or regular one. Rail traffic should replace flights when travel is less than 300 miles. It is done quite well in the East Coast with the Acela, and it can be done in the West. After all, high rises are now being built even in Orange County so why not public transportation?