Lowery Rules Out Miramar as Site for Airport

Looking at Miramar Naval Air Station as an alternative to Lindbergh Field wastes taxpayers’ money and squanders valuable time that could be spent garnering federal funds for other airport options, Rep. Bill Lowery said Tuesday.

Allowing military and civilian airplanes to share Miramar “is about as feasible as letting the Indianapolis 500 race cars and Greyhound buses share the same track,” said Lowery, (R-San Diego) during a press conference.

In recent days, the spotlight on Miramar as a replacement for Lindbergh Field has intensified. A city-commissioned study, released last week, ruled out Brown Field as an option. Faced with three sites, Miramar, Miramar East (West Sycamore Canyon) and Otay Mesa, county supervisors recently supported the two at Miramar. And Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) has said that he will introduce legislation to press for joint civilian and military use of Miramar.

“Miramar appears to be the most economical and as well the most technically valid option available for this region,” Bates said.

The proposal for a joint-use military and civilian facility has been revisited numerous times through the decade as the city presses for a solution for Lindbergh, which experts say cannot keep pace with San Diego’s growth. By the middle of the next century, an estimated 35 million passengers will fly into San Diego annually--three times the number now served. And, as the city searches for a solution, Bates and others, including the Airline Pilots Assn., have supported Miramar.

To slow the growing momentum, Lowery and other lawmakers gathered by a display of an E2B Hawkeye at Miramar’s west gate to condemn the option and read a letter written by Deputy Secretary of Defense Don Atwood.

“Since 1983, the Department of Defense has adamantly opposed any actions which would adversely effect the operations,” at Miramar, said Atwood in the letter. “If anything, joint use of NAS Miramar is even more objectionable now than it was in 1983.”

Lowery says the continued quest for an airport site endangers San Diego’s bid for federal funds. The Federal Aviation Administration has $2.75 billion available to improve airports that are operating at full capacity. FAA has pledged money to nine cities, and three others are preparing their bids.