Site's Revival Adds to Airport Relocation Battle
Transportation: April Deadline Nears for the November Ballot

By CONNIE LEWIS
San Diego Business Journal Staff

When former Denver Mayor Federico Pena — credited with spearheading the relocation of that city's obsolete airport — came to San Diego in 2004 to tell civic leaders how it was done, he predicted that San Diego International Airport might move to a site no one had yet thought of. At least, that's how it happened when Denver International was located 25 miles outside the city in 1995.

The one-time Clinton Cabinet member's forecast could come true if a stretch of land east of Escondido under review by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority makes it onto a short list of sites that includes five active military bases, a remote East County location and another in the Imperial County desert. The North County property is being looked at as a way to “supplement” Lindbergh Field, not replace it.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline for concluding the site selection and getting a recommendation on the November ballot, which is the Airport Authority's mandate, two nonmilitary sites on the list — one in Boulevard and the other in the Imperial Valley — appear undesirable from a financial standpoint. And none of the local military bases was targeted for elimination during last year's Base Realignment and Closure process.

So if the North County site — the one that previously drew no serious consideration — passes muster, it may prove to be a rabbit in the hat.

But that's a big if.

The boot-shaped strip of land east of Valley Center, west of the Cleveland National Forest, south of the La Jolla Indian Reservation and north of Ramona Airport includes a portion of the historic Rancho Guejito — a 22,000-acre working cattle ranch, owned by Rodney Co., a New York-based real estate firm.

The terrain, particularly that of the ranch, is rugged and would be costly to level, which is why the site was scrapped from a lengthy list of possibilities that the Airport Authority inherited when it took over the management of Lindbergh Field in 2003.

Fresh Eyes

Yet it's being looked at again with “fresh eyes,” said Greg Wellman, associate vice president of Chicago-based Ricondo & Associates, the Airport Authority's consultant.

Angela Shafer-Payne, the Airport Authority's vice president of strategic planning, pointed out that while the study area is vast, the amount of land needed for a new single-runway airport is not.

“We're not focusing just on the ranch,” Shafer-Payne said. “We're looking for 1,500 acres somewhere in the northern part of San Diego County, and that could include more, or less, or none of the ranch.”

Two Airports?

While Lindbergh Field is popular with tourists and conventioneers because of its proximity to the San Diego Convention Center, Downtown's Gaslamp Quarter, local attractions and the beaches, the county may not be able to support two airports, said John Chalker, a member of the Alliance in Support of Airport Progress in the 21st Century, or ASAP-21.

“The first concern is whether the San Diego region has the population and the number of travelers to support a dual airport,” said Chalker, who is also managing director of San Diego-based LM Capital Group, LLC.

Dallas, which supports both Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the smaller Love Field Airport, is an airline hub. The same goes for Chicago, which is home to both O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport. But San Diego is not an airline hub, Chalker pointed out.

“Then the other big question is, if you build it, which airlines will serve it?” he said. “You have to remember, you can't force an airline to serve any specific airport.

“If it doesn't make sense for them from a business and economic perspective, they won't fly there.”

Although officials at local military bases, including North Island Naval Air Station, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar's sprawling eastern section and Camp Pendleton near Oceanside have nixed the notion of joint use with the public airport, Chalker said they do not have the final say.

That decision ultimately rests with federal authorities, and the airport agency may still be able to take its case to the next level, he added.

“I don't consider that door to be closed at all because no official communiqué has occurred between the Airport Authority and the Department of Defense,” Chalker said. “While there are concerns by the military regarding operations at local bases, the military also has to understand that from a logistics and supply standpoint, the regional airport impacts them and their ability to move personnel and cargo in an efficient manner just as much as it impacts citizens and local businesses.”

Gary Knight, the president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Economic Development Council, said that the North County's population has reached 1.4 million, or roughly half that of the entire county.

The quota needed to make a North County airport feasible could be met if such a facility attracted travelers from Riverside County, he said.

“A multi-county approach might make good sense for a new airport,” he said.

However, he doubts that Interstate 15, the major transportation artery serving that area, could support the additional traffic an airport would generate without being expanded.

A Questionable Solution

“If they're going to bifurcate the airport, it makes sense to look in the North County,” Knight said. “But they have to think of airline passengers and cargo going to and from the airport efficiently.

“So that brings up the questions of how you expand I-15 and where to get the funding.”

According to Cami Mattson, the president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau, “Anything that can enhance ease of access, be it roadways or air transportation, would benefit the residents and businesses in this area.

“It would certainly be better for this region than having the airport moved completely to the Imperial Valley. But it's too speculative to say how this all will turn out. The good news is they (the Airport Authority) are trying to solve problems that will come in the future rather than waiting until they're in a bind and then starting to think about it.”

In addition to four active military installations within San Diego County, the Airport Authority's short list of possible relocation sites includes March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County. Borrego Springs remains on the list, but it is not a strong contender. Neither are the sites in the Imperial Valley and Boulevard, since cost estimates for each are about $17 billion — a sum that the Airport Authority would have difficulty financing. While expanding Lindbergh Field is also an option, it isn't likely to happen, since adding a second runway would involve considerable property condemnation nearby.

The Airport Authority has a self-imposed deadline of April for completing the technical analysis portion of its site recommendation process, said Shafer-Payne. The ballot language for the advisory measure will be written by late July or early August, in time to meet the San Diego County Board of Supervisors' Aug. 11 deadline to get a measure on the November ballot.

According to the airport agency's projections, increased demand for Lindbergh Field, which sits on less than 700 acres in Downtown, is destined to become congested and will experience a backup of planes awaiting takeoff by 2015.