See also Brown Field - Addressing Region's Air Cargo Needs

Land deal for airport taxiway | Port and Marines agree to swap acreage to allow Lindbergh improvement

08-Dec-1998 Tuesday

The Port of San Diego and the U.S. Marine Corps reached a tentative
agreement on a land swap that sets the stage for Lindbergh Field expansion
while providing the Marines with new training facilities.

The deal announced yesterday would give the port nearly 30 acres of Marine
Corps Recruit Depot property, enabling the extension of a taxiway on the
north side of the airport.

"This preliminary agreement between the port and the Marines is a watershed
event for the future of San Diego International Airport," said Larry
Killeen, the port's top administrator, in prepared remarks. "Through an
unprecedented act of cooperation and foresight, these two agencies are
joining ranks to bring the San Diego region a more efficient, less
congested airport."

While the longer taxiway would dramatically improve airport flight
operations, its acquisition would also make possible a range of short- and
long-term airport expansion scenarios that if implemented could provide the
growing region with adequate airport facilities well into the next century.

For example, a new passenger terminal or a new air cargo facility now are
realistic ideas for vacant land once occupied by General Dynamics' Convair
facility along Pacific Highway. Neither idea was feasible without a
full-length, north taxiway.

Although the port completed a $238 million terminal and roadway expansion
this year, Lindbergh remains the smallest major airport in the country. San
Diego International Airport is situated on 474 acres north of downtown. It
is served by a single, relatively short 9,400-foot runway.

As part of the Marine Corps deal, the port would obtain 27 acres now
actively used by the Marines. It would gain ownership to an additional 18
acres the Marines currently lease to the port.

In return, the port would pay an estimated $40 million to reconfigure and
reconstruct MCRD training fields and facilities. And the Marines would gain
ownership to nearly 11 acres at Washington Street and Pacific Highway.

A memorandum of understanding between the port and the Marine Corps still
must pass muster with a bevy of federal and state agencies. The memorandum,
a precursor to a binding agreement, allows the port to begin exploring
potential costs associated with the land transfer.

"What makes this so very attractive to us is we're getting facilities
reconfigured and replaced and there is no disruption to our recruit
training," said Col. John Sollis.

Indeed, the recruit depot will get new facilities at the port's expense, a
much quicker proposition than awaiting Department of Defense funding for
such a project on the 388-acre depot, in operation since 1921.

Killeen, who is stepping down from the port job in mid-January, noted the
agency now is flush with recent or pending land acquisitions involving the
airport. That spells flexibility as port officials continue to draft
Lindbergh Field's master plan, a development blueprint to guide future
construction at the airport.

Each of the alternatives being considered include an extended taxiway,
Killeen said.

"This gives us life, it gives us further capacity," he said.

Together with the pending Marine Corps swap, the acquisitions challenge
critics' notion that Lindbergh will be closed anytime soon. In fact,
expansion appears certain. The only question now is the degree, sweeping or
limited.

A second runway is one alternative, either through the remainder of the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot or through property occupied by Teledyne Ryan.

Port administrators say the agency has no intention of pursuing a second
runway through the Marine Corps property. But, although the subject was
downplayed yesterday, the port could fit a second runway south of the main
runway, possibly through Teledyne Ryan and the current airport terminals.

Here's why:

 Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical has been studying ways to shrink its
operations and use only a portion of its existing property along North
Harbor Drive. Teledyne Ryan's buildings enclose about 1 million square feet
on 40 acres of property. Jets with large wingspans, such as the Boeing 747,
generally can't use the full length of Lindbergh's south taxiway because
the company's buildings are too close. So ground controllers direct jumbo
jets across Lindbergh's runway, which delays other aircraft during takeoffs
and landings.

 The port will gain the 90 acres formerly leased by General Dynamics
along Pacific Highway. Several options envision a transportation center
between Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway. Existing passenger terminals
could be moved there, freeing space for a second runway. Port Commission
Chairman David Malcolm is a proponent of that idea.

 The port will gain 50 acres from the Naval Training Center, located just
west of the new Terminal 2 wing. The land could be used for additional
passenger terminals, overnight aircraft parking or maintenance or for air
cargo.

Faced with so many alternatives, the port's governing board recently hired
Dennis P. Bouey to succeed Killeen. Bouey has served as Philadelphia's
aviation director. The job included oversight of Philadelphia International
Airport, the fastest-growing airport in the nation last year. That airport
has three runways.

Here, some will argue a second runway won't be needed because of the
pending north taxiway.

"We can fulfill the needs and not address a second runway," Port
Commissioner Jess Van Deventer said. "This here resolves a lot of problems
for the future."

The Port Commission is expected to review airport development proposals and
select one by early next year, although construction is unlikely to occur
for years.

Currently, the airport has but half of a north taxiway, which dead ends at
the recruit depot. An extension of the taxiway would allow planes to exit
the runway sooner after landing, increasing operational efficiency while
decreasing flight delays.

"This is something the Port of San Diego had been engaged in trying to
resolve for many, many years," Port Commissioner Frank Urtasun said.

"This is truly a historic moment. The Port of San Diego and the U.S. Marine
Corps came together, respecting each others' interests, respecting each
others' needs in facilities, and still came together in a win-win
situation." 

In an earlier November 18, 1998 article, the newspaper notes that the nearby Brown Field can be developed for air cargo use:

Spotlight on Brown Field | Addressing region's air cargo needs

"A dedicated air cargo airport at Brown Field with its ample space and
logistical support facilities, and long-range runways could play a major
role in addressing air cargo imbalances in the region and better meet
industry needs in the greater San Diego area. But there are other reasons
to suggest that this is not just a viable but a needed project. New
standards for the movement of industrial cargo are demanding
state-of-the-art cargo processing facilities and intermodal interfaces.
Expansive truck parking areas and cross-docking facilities are required for
interfaces between international trade flows and domestic distribution.

Brown Field stands a good chance of being at the forefront of this change."