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A proposed international airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station has reached a crucial stage.
After two months of often critical public comment, the proposal for an El Toro airport awaits consideration by county planning agencies late next month. The El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission and the county airport and planning commissions will then forward their recommendations to the supervisors; while these planning groups are expected to favor an airport, they have raised concerns about aspects of the plan and could recommend revisions or conditions.
Moreover, early in November the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to provide a pivotal written analysis and opinion on the county's airport plan. While previous statements from the FAA suggest the report will be positive toward converting the base to a commercial airport, a negative report likely would be fatal to the airport planning process. The report is expected to be a key document in the deliberations by the planning bodies and the supervisors.
The supervisors' vote on the airport is scheduled for December. At that time, the supervisors are expected to select one of three proposed reuses for El Toro--a commercial airport, a cargo airport or a non-aviation plan--and forward their recommendation for El Toro to the Pentagon by a deadline of Dec. 30.
The supervisors, citing two popular votes for a commercial airport, already have one on record as saying that an airport is the preferred reuse of the 4,700-acre base, scheduled to close by 1999. The county's plan calls for an international commercial airport serving 38.3 million 1.64 million tons of cargo a year by 2020, an airport slightly larger than San Francisco International Airport today. John Wayne Airport would be expected to close to commercial air traffic by 2015.
Assuming no bombshell from the FAA, the board is likely to recommend an airport. The four current board members, who will not leave office until January, are expected to back the airport, rendering moot a possible appointment by Gov. Wilson of an anti-airport person to Marian Bergeson's vacated seat.
From there, the airport plan will go to the Secretary of the Navy, who oversees the Marines and has final say over the reuse of the base. The federal government will produce its own environmental impact...