One piece of a proposal for regional governance has been pulled from the puzzle and will be sent separately to the state Legislature.
The San Diego Regional Efficiency Commission, charged with finding a better way to solve regional transportation and land-use issues, recently voted to make a separate recommendation regarding a new airport.
The commission approved forming an airport authority with the power to locate a new airport site, condemn the needed land and operate a new facility.
The authority would eventually take over operation of Lindbergh Field, currently run by the San Diego Unified Port District, until a new airport is built.
For key members of the business community, the move to create an airport authority is long overdue.
“For too long, the region has allowed the airport decision to be held hostage by small groups of citizens who bear the impact that would result from those decisions,” said Erik Bruvold, director of quality of life infrastructure needs for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.
“The airport issue is absolutely vital to the business community. The port’s own master plan says between 2006 and 2008, Lindbergh’s runways, terminals and ground access will be too congested to operate.”
Bruvold said congestion becomes a problem for businesses, since many have national and international business ties.
“That becomes a problem in terms of San Diego companies getting people out to sales meetings, bringing in customers and sending executives to talk to strategic partners around the world,” he said. “If the airport that we have doesn’t work, eventually they will seek other places to do business.”
The debate to relocate Lindbergh Field has raged for years. Dozens of costly studies have been filed indicating the need for a new facility. The problem, according to the regional commission, is San Diego has no agency with the power to solve it.
The Port District operates the facility and the San Diego Association of Governments has regional land-use powers, but neither has the sole authority to uproot Lindbergh Field.
A Bold Move
The regional commission, which made its decision by a 7-1 vote on June 27, will send its recommendation to the state Legislature for approval by Aug. 1. If approved, it could be put on the March 2002 ballot.
“I think this is the boldest step anybody has taken on the airport issue since Lindbergh Field was built,” said San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy.
Murphy made a new airport one of his primary goals during his state of the city address earlier this year changed and devised a plan to do so.
Murphy’s proposal, presented to the commission in April, calls for the authority to be made of nine appointed members , three appointed by the city of San Diego, one by the county, one by the Port District, and four by the San Diego Association of Governments.
Details of who can be appointed to the commission, whether they will be full- or part-time, and whether the new airport authority should be subject to voter approval, will be discussed at the commission’s July 6 meeting at the Viejas Indian reservation.
Besides airport issues, the commission will send the state Legislature its proposal on consolidation of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, the North County Transit District, the Air Pollution Control District, the Port District and Sandag.
