"Oakland airport expansion pact"

Friday, October 4, 2002 

Oakland airport expansion pact 
Long-stalled plans can now go forward 
By Suzanne Herel
The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle. 


A $1.4 billion plan to expand the Oakland International Airport, stalled
by legal action last year, is back on track with an agreement announced
Thursday by community groups, city officials and the Port of Oakland. 

"We have been at odds for a long time," said Rob Wonder, assistant city
manager for Alameda, which is in the airport's flight path. "We've had
incremental steps, but this is monumental." 

Alameda officials, along with neighborhood activists concerned about
noise and the environment, were behind a lawsuit that grounded the
multiyear project last November. 

In that action, the state Supreme Court agreed with a lower court that
required the Port of Oakland to conduct new environmental impact reports
of noise, toxic pollution and the impact of the project on a rare
burrowing owl. 

"The port will go ahead and finish that," Wonder said. The environmental
impact report still needs to be approved, he said. 

Alameda officials, while not waiving the right to file new legal action,
have decided to drop some legal objections to the project, Wonder said. 

The agreement -- to be signed formally Tuesday -- means the port can
continue working on a master plan for the airport expansion. The
agreement gives concerned community groups some input. 

In addition to the port and Alameda, signing the agreement are the
Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity and Berkeley Keep Jets
Over the Bay Committee. 

"This agreement achieves our objective of creating an environmentally
sound development program that incorporates significant community
input," said Tay Yoshitani, executive director of the Port of Oakland. 

The project, scheduled to be completed by 2008, will include a new main
terminal, a 6,000-space parking garage, 12 new gates and expanded cargo
facilities. Runway expansion is not part of the expansion project. 

Under the agreement: 

   -- A double-deck roadway will be built as part of the new passenger
terminal to handle traffic for departing and arriving flights. 

   -- FedEx will expand its air cargo facilities, but plans for another
cargo facility to be used by the U.S. Postal Service and other carriers
will be put on hold. 

   -- Cargo jets will be prohibited from flying over some areas between
midnight and 7 a.m. 

   -- Community groups will be allowed to take part in airport planning
for the next 20 years. 

   -- Additional parking lots and rental car facilities will be built in
addition to a multilevel parking garage near the passenger terminal.


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