RESOLUTION OF THE EL TORO REUSE PLANNING AUTHORITY
REGARDING ORANGE COUNTY AIRPORT CAPACITY
WHEREAS the almost three million residents and the vigorous business
community of Orange County are well-served by Orange County Airport, also
known as John Wayne Airport; and
WHEREAS Orange County Airport has a design capacity of 14 million passengers
per year; and
WHEREAS recent Orange County Airport utilization has been between seven
and eight million passengers per year, well below the airport’s design
capacity; and
WHEREAS a court-imposed consent decree limiting annual passengers
and flights at Orange County Airport will expire in 2005; and
WHEREAS that consent decree also imposes a very appropriate nighttime
curfew on flight operations for the protection of residential neighborhoods
in the airport vicinity; and
WHEREAS future population growth in Southern California is expected
to be concentrated in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties,
rather than Orange County; and
WHEREAS Ontario airport has substantial unused capacity and the new
commercial airports at the sites of the former March, Norton, and George
Air Force bases are in the path of future population growth; and
WHEREAS the City of Newport Beach and the County of Orange have officially
and actively pursued construction of a major commercial airport at Marine
Corp Air Station El Toro; and
WHEREAS construction of a new airport at El Toro would waste a valuable
real estate resource and cost at least $3 billion; and
WHEREAS it would not make economic sense to spend billions of dollars
to build a new airport at El Toro while there is substantial unused airport
capacity at the existing Orange County Airport; and
WHEREAS Orange County has adequate airport capacity at the existing
Orange County Airport, now and for the future; and
WHEREAS existing airports at LAX, Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, Orange
County and Palmdale, coupled with new airports at March, Norton and George,
will amply serve the air transportation needs of the greater Los Angeles
metropolitan area for the future;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority
is unconditionally opposed to termination of the existing nighttime curfews
at Orange County / John Wayne Airport; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority is
unconditionally opposed to construction of any airport at the site of the
former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority will
vigorously oppose any extension of flight or passenger limits at Orange
County / John Wayne Airport while the City of Newport Beach and the County
of Orange continue to pursue construction of a commercial airport
at El Toro.
Adopted March 26, 2001
RESOLUTION OF THE EL TORO REUSE PLANNING AUTHORITY
REGARDING REGIONAL AVIATION DEMAND AND
CAPACITY OF THE INLAND EMPIRE AIRPORTS
WHEREAS the Southern California Region including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties is served by more commercial airports than any other metropolitan area in the United States; and
WHEREAS available Southern California airports include: Los Angeles International Airport, Burbank Airport, Long Beach Airport, Ontario Airport, Orange County John Wayne Airport, Palmdale Airport, March GlobalPort, San Bernardino International Airport, and Southern California Logistics Airport: and
WHEREAS Los Angeles International, Burbank, Long Beach and Orange County airports are all located in highly urbanized areas where environmental concerns and community resistance make further expansion of these airports difficult; and
WHEREAS the greatest population growth in Southern California during the next century is projected to occur in the Inland Empire counties of Riverside and San Bernardino; and
WHEREAS March GlobalPort, San Bernardino International Airport, Southern California Logistics Airports, and Ontario Airport are well located to serve future Southern California aviation needs and have great unused capacity; and
WHEREAS the communities near Ontario Airport, March GlobalPort, San Bernardino International Airport, and Southern California Logistics Airport are all generally supportive of those airports and hope for the benefits that would accompany increased use of those facilities; and
WHEREAS government, community and business leaders in the Inland Empire have stated that the development of an airport at El Toro will greatly curtail the further development opportunities of Inland Empire airports and will hamper the economic development of their two counties;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority is strongly opposed to building a second airport in Orange County when existing airports in Riverside and San Bernardino counties remain severely underutilized; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority believes that it is good public policy to direct air traffic to airports with excess capacity rather than spending billions of dollars to expand capacity in highly populated areas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority will fully cooperate with the government, community and business leaders in the Inland Empire to work with regional planning agencies to focus their efforts on improving surface transportation links among existing airports in the Inland Empire and population centers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority will
work closely with government, community and business leaders in the
Inland Empire to promote opportunities to further develop and utilize the
March GlobalPort, the San Bernardino International Airport, the Ontario
Airport and the Southern California Logistics Airport to satisfy Southern
California’s future air passenger and cargo demand.
Adopted March 26, 2001
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