El Toro FAA Study: Conclusions No Surprise

* Re “Report to FAA Calls O.C.’s Latest El Toro Flight Plan a No-Go,” Aug. 6:

There should be no surprise regarding the FAA’s study of El Toro as being unsafe and impractical.

I and many other airport opponents who pounded the podium heard these exact same arguments in December of 1996 at the county Hall of Administration during the debate over the county’s environmental impact report.

Many concerned citizens who voiced their opinions were well-qualified aviation experts. Unfortunately, their voices fell on the deaf ears of the then-current board majority.

The article states the FAA study was made available to the county Planning Department in June, but no copies have been made available to the board members who oppose the airport.

The “fatal flaw” has now been exposed and it is time to study solely nonaviation alternatives.

EDWARD F. GOGIN JR.

Trabuco Canyon

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Did anyone think there wouldn’t have to be some adjustments in air traffic when El Toro airport is built?

That is what the FAA is all about--regulating air travel to promote safety. Does the report indicate that the FAA doesn’t want the El Toro airport? Of course not.

Does it mean El Toro cannot be built? No again! All the report indicates is that El Toro airport traffic will need to be integrated into the existing air traffic. That should, can and will be done.

TIFFANY YOUNG

Westminster

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How is it possible that under the direction of former county CEO and former John Wayne Airport Director Jan Mittermeier, assisted by an army of aviation and PR consultants, the county has wasted $40 million and five years to produce an airport plan that the FAA now says is unworkable?

Mittermeier’s economic prowess was certainly not evident here. Despite many warnings from the public and aviation community, everyone at the county apart from Supervisors Tom Wilson and Todd Spitzer gave full assurances as to the safety and integrity of the plan, and proceeded to submit it in the final draft of the environmental impact report.

It is hard to understand how such a flawed plan ever got so far.

Staff in the El Toro planning office repeated like a mantra that their planning was open and thorough, and even “a textbook example of thorough land use analysis.”

But legitimate concerns were often harshly dismissed as criticism, only to be become major issues later on, as seen with the FAA’s disapproval of flight paths and court rulings finding the EIR deficient.

The county has taken the first step toward correcting the planning process by stripping Mittermeier of control. But for the process to move forward, our leaders must become facilitators, and allow the people outside county government to drive the planning process.

Until this happens, nothing will be built at El Toro. How many more politicians will have to learn this the hard way?

DAN FINCH

Las Flores

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Orange County will require a larger airport in the near future, due to increased population and travel demands.

The existing airport, John Wayne, is not large enough to accommodate the demand, and any expansion of John Wayne will be horribly detrimental to the entire Newport Harbor area (Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Balboa, Corona del Mar.)

Newport Harbor is a beautiful and rare resource in California. An expanded airport will virtually ruin its beauty and unique aspect. The coastal area under Los Angeles International Airport has been destroyed as a result of that airport.

However, the closed El Toro Marine Base offers a wonderful opportunity to meet the growing demands of air travel in Orange County, without ruining existing neighborhoods.

There is a buffer zone around El Toro that does not exist at John Wayne.

The noise and pollution will not affect existing neighborhoods, regardless of what South County claims.

The existing runway will accommodate the jets, whereas John Wayne will require lengthening runways at the expense of millions of dollars and destroying existing homes, businesses and freeways.

South County’s “Millennium Plan” of a park and cultural center is, theoretically, a nice idea, but the county’s demands do not require that large a park, another university, another fairgrounds, a professional sports arena or some additional softball fields.

In order to achieve this, the county would have to conduct a major cleanup of the Marine base, which I can only imagine is a phenomenal financial endeavor.

It would be acceptable if Orange County did not have an immediate transportation need and had land and money to burn, but we do not.

In order to achieve the “Millennium Plan” the taxpayers will have to bear a burden we cannot handle right now, especially after the bankruptcy debacle a few years ago.

An airport on the closed El Toro Marine Base is an excellent opportunity for Orange County.

ANNE McCRAY PAULEY

Newport Beach

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The July 16 editorial “Candor for El Toro” got it just right.

County leaders have destroyed public confidence in them by consistently misleading the public about the need for an airport and its impact on noise, air quality, traffic and safety.

Supervisors Chuck Smith, Cynthia P. Coad and Jim Silva should join with supervisors Tom Wilson and Todd Spitzer to take several steps immediately.

They should end all spending and planning for an airport. It matters not what the courts think of Measure F: The electorate has declared what it thinks of the county’s shoddy planning, misrepresentations and the proposed airport.

The supervisors should revamp the Local Redevelopment Authority to include the nearby cities in the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority. The county action in hijacking this process is intolerable.

The supervisors should restructure the county planning process to follow the constructs in Measure F, and ensure adequate local participation in all future land use planning.

They should place a measure before the voters to change the zoning of El Toro to permit a park and OK full interim use of all base facilities, including housing.

These steps, if taken, will start to rebuild public confidence in county government once again.

MICHAEL SMITH

Mission Viejo

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The Times article “Dreams of High-Tech Glory Passing O.C. By” (July 9) should be read by every Orange County citizen concerned about the future of local economics.

The article clearly stated that the most important factor in attracting new business to this county revolved around quality-of-life issues.

These are the very issues that the visionaries trying to stop an airport from being built at El Toro understand. We have an incredible undeveloped piece of property in an ideal location that could be the envy of every metropolitan area competing for new high-tech business.

There is enough land at El Toro to create the kind of urban atmosphere that young entrepreneurs are looking for at this stage of their lives.

The surrounding quiet suburban neighborhoods and beaches would be perfect places for the employees of such companies to settle into, as they become family-oriented. If an airport is built at El Toro, not only would it destroy the quality of life that we already enjoy, the statistics of your article state that airports clearly are not the most important factor in attracting young, vibrant, high-tech millionaires.

SUSAN CHAPLY

Laguna Niguel

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The dangers of an airport close to residential neighborhoods has once again been blazingly, painfully apparent. The people of Gonesse, France, have been shattered by the recent tragedy--one that very easily could happen if Measure F is overturned and an unnecessary and unwanted airport is built sometime in the future at the proposed site at El Toro.

How many more people have to die before our governments--and the supervisors that represent the voters--make sure that approval is given only to construct new airports in less sensitive areas?

The Concorde’s disaster could well be repeated in Orange County with another major airline. No one ever wants it to happen, but accidents do happen and hand-wringing afterward does no good.

This is just one more significant reason why we should not have an airport at El Toro, so close to existing residential and commercial facilities.

JODY CLARK

Laguna Niguel

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Is it going to take yet another disaster like the Concorde crash in France to shake the three blind mice in Orange County out of ignorance and denial?

CAROL W. SKYDELL

Laguna Woods