Newport gets support for JWA extension plan

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- The city councils in Orange and Tustin have thrown

their support behind Newport Beach’s plan for allowing only slight

increases in flights at John Wayne Airport.

The two panels approved resolutions Tuesday saying they support a plan

that would, if approved by Orange County supervisors, lead to a minor

expansion of the airport when its flight restrictions are extended after

2005.

Orange Councilman Dan Slater endorsed the plan as a compromise and a

way to avoid future headaches caused by even more airplanes heading over

the so-called “corridor cities” that lie beneath the flight path.

“I’m not happy about it, but it’s the best possible scenario,” Slater

said. “It’s a fair compromise, but I would have preferred no increase.”

The Newport Beach City Council also adopted a resolution Tuesday

night, saying the corridor cities -- including Costa Mesa, Anaheim and

Santa Ana -- were on board.

City leaders have been promoting a plan that would lead to a mild

expansion at the airport. It would allow the county to add four more

flight gates, 1.4 million additional passengers per year and 12 more of

the noisiest flights per day.

The 1985 settlement deal, which put the restrictions in place, imposed

an 8.4-million annual passenger cap, a limit of 73 daily departures in

the noisiest flight class and other measures.

The restrictions expire on Dec. 31, 2005.

The Tustin council also threw its backing behind the scenario on

Tuesday, hoping to secure an extension deal of some kind rather than

none.

“It’s in everybody’s best interest to lock it in,” Tustin City Manager

Bill Houston said. “You have to strike a compromise.”

City managers from all the corridor cities sent a letter to

Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee Wendy Leece, who has been

working to get the restriction extended, on Jan. 18 announcing they were

endorsing the scenario.

Newport Beach leaders are working to nail down an extension of the

restrictions prior to the March 5 vote on the Great Park initiative. The

county is set to vote on Measure W at that time.

County supervisors are expected to pick one of three possible

scenarios for extending the restrictions on Feb. 26.

City leaders are hopeful that timeline holds.

“We’re trying to put all the pieces together,” Newport Beach

Councilwoman Norma Glover said. “It’s crunch time.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .