MCRD Proposal Worthy of a Test Flight
Commentary
by Rick Bell
As airport planners prepare to trim a list of potential sites in their quest to locate a new regional facility, they should also spend some time discussing recent revelations that the Navy may be willing to give up the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Downtown.
It’s an enticing possibility, to say the least. Adjacent to Lindbergh Field, the almost 80-year-old, 388-acre training ground for thousands of Marine recruits would allow for construction of a much-needed second runway at a facility that is already at maximum capacity.
MCRD, of course, will come at a price. And it may not be the optimal piece of military property local airport planners truly covet most , MCAS Miramar still sits atop that list. At an estimated cost of $500 million, MCRD could be a relative bargain. If additional costs double or even triple that figure when all is said and done, it’s still comparatively cheap when considering the cost of siting and relocating a brand-new airport. Denver International Airport, which opened outside the city in 1995, was the first new major airport built since 1974. The final price tag for Denver International was a heady $5 billion.
The plan offered up by Republican congressmen Darrell Issa of Vista and Randy Cunningham of Escondido would move MCRD about 90 miles up the road to El Toro in Orange County, where it appears plans to convert the former Marine Corps air station to a regional airport are all but dead. Voters heavily favored creating a Balboa Park-like facility instead.
While El Toro is still in the Navy’s hands, several Orange County officials noted they would welcome the return of the Marine Corps to their area. Not surprisingly, Marine Corps and Navy officials are remaining relatively mum on the whole subject.
Curiously, Democratic Rep. Susan Davis, whose district encompasses MCRD, seems reluctant to move MCRD. It can be argued that it’s a case of Not In My Back Yard , or Not From My Back Yard , since Issa is adamant that Camp Pendleton will not be taken for an airport in his district and Cunningham is staunch in his defense to keep Miramar as a Marine base in his district. Yet MCRD’s value as a military asset seems expendable, especially if the Marines can get a new, expanded facility just up the road.
It’s also unfortunate that Rep. Duncan Hunter doesn’t see the potential to solve San Diego’s long-term airport needs. The El Cajon Republican issued a statement March 27 opposing the move, not so much on the basis of airport expansion but based on losing a local military asset. His point is well-taken that MCRD annually pumps millions of dollars into San Diego’s economy and the facility is a local landmark, but he misses the point on what would serve the region’s greater good here.
Some also have pointed out that Lindbergh would outgrow any expansion by 2020 , barely enough time to get it built and functioning. San Diego would be then be back in the same boat , essentially waiting on the Navy to sell off Miramar or Pendleton.
A new regional airport can’t become a partisan political football. There are enough hurdles to jump already.
To be sure, Issa and Cunningham should have known better than to make their announcement without first consulting Davis. But give credit where credit is due: They are working to solve the region’s top business priority , a new regional airport.
The time will come to judge the merits of expanding Lindbergh Field into MCRD , if the Navy indeed wishes to sell it off. Until it’s proven MCRD offers no long-term solution to the regional airport issue or the Navy flatly rejects selling the facility, planners must seriously consider a Downtown airport expansion.
, Rick Bell
