CAA: GA News, "Long Beach, Calif., General Aviation Feels Pinch of Airport Development"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

January 7, 2002

Long Beach, Calif., General Aviation Feels Pinch of Airport Development
The Press-Telegram, Long Beach, CA


LONG BEACH, Calif.--Those who love flying small planes, and the
businessmen and women who make a living servicing aircraft, are
concerned that an unprecedented development project near Long Beach
Airport could threaten a legacy of general aviation.

Long Beach Airport has a long history of being home to small private
planes, charter flights and luxury and business jets.

But with the massive PacifiCenter project in the middle of an
environmental impact review, and with Long Beach airport officials
looking at a multimillion-dollar expansion of facilities to cater to a
growing number of commercial airliner flights -- there is a chance
general aviation could take a back seat.

At least that's what Kevin McAchren and Candace Robinson believe. So in
recent weeks, the two board members of the Long Beach Airport
Association have been at the forefront of an effort to let Boeing Realty
Corp., developers of PacifiCenter, and the city of Long Beach know that
pilots of small aircraft are an important airport constituent.

PacifiCenter is an ambitious project to transform a vacant aerospace
plant, formerly owned by McDonnell Douglas Corp. before the Boeing Co.
bought it, into a high-tech business park.

The aging buildings and hangars once used for aerospace manufacturing
would be torn down. In their place would go new high-tech businesses,
residential tracts and a recreation center.

The massive 260-acre development, with at least 5 million square feet of
office and technology space and facilities for light industrial work,
two hotels, 150,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and the 2,500
residences, would be on the west side of Lakewood Boulevard just south
of Carson Street.

When completed, it could generate $1.65 billion in annual economic
benefits to the city and create more than 20,000 jobs, according to an
economic impact study done by Cal State Long Beach and funded by Boeing
Realty.

The project is in its infancy, but McAchren and Robinson think that is
to their advantage. There is still enough time to lobby the city and
Boeing Realty to keep in mind the needs of general aviation and the
airport itself.

"We at the airport commission don't have an objection to what Boeing
wants to do," McAchren said. "We want a specific set-aside of some land,
whether that be 30 or 40 acres, or whatever, to be for some aviation
use.

"You have to remember, Long Beach Airport is pretty well built out. We
have to look out for additional lands for aviation use. We have a unique
opportunity with Boeing having closed down some of its plants, and we
think some of that should go for aviation," said McAchren, who owns and
operates Airserv.

For one, there is a shortage of hangar and tie-down space for general
aviation planes. This may be Southern California, with beautiful weather
most of the year, but the owners of small planes and corporate aircraft
still like to keep their birds inside.

There also is an acute need for parking spaces for employees and users
of airport service companies -- the maintenance crews and facilities
that keep the small planes well-oiled and ready to fly or that provide
ground crew services for private and public charters.

Mike Russell, senior vice president of Boeing Realty, said he's heard
the concerns, and PacifiCenter's master plan now has 15 acres of the
project devoted to aviation. Before project managers heard from the
association, there was no acreage devoted to general aviation, Russell
said.

"We have been fairly responsive to their desires. We are doing some
other things in the parking area so we can free up some other land,"
Russell said.

Russell said the project is trying to balance the desires of the city
for a development that creates as many jobs as possible with
environmental concerns. For instance, property in Lakewood could provide
an additional 22 acres for general aviation, but the city wants a more
high-tech use.

What concerns Robinson, who owns the Long Beach Flying Club, is a
history of development within the airport that has nudged out general
aviation.

Within the airport, the association wants the so-called Parcel J to
remain general aviation use.

Parcel J is a 17-acre chunk of general aviation land on the south end of
Long Beach Airport that had been home to dilapidated airplane hangars
for much of the 1990s.

"JetBlue Airways is a great asset. But Long Beach Airport will always
primarily be a general aviation airport. Everything from the guy with a
small airplane who flies on the weekend clear up to corporate people
with their corporate jets," McAchren said.

The city is looking at a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion of
the airport to handle planned new flights by JetBlue.

The commission also has concerns about a PacifiCenter proposal to locate
new housing close to a busy airport, even with existing noise abatement
ordinances, restricted flying times and a cap on the number of flights
airliners can operate at the facility.

The proposed residential developments would conflict with three of the
airport's runways, either because of noise restrictions or safety,
McAchren said. The association doesn't want any new housing near the
airport.

The city's planning and building department is reviewing what effects
noise from the airport would have on proposed residential developments
and the effect traffic generated by the project would have on existing
neighbors.

"We don't want to torpedo the development. That is not our goal,"
McAchren said. "They are listening to some of the elements of our
opposition, but it appears they want to fast track this thing through."

Russell said there are homes closer to Los Angeles International
Airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Lindbergh Field in San
Diego than to the residential tracts proposed at PacifiCenter.

But Russell said Boeing Realty and project managers are open to all
suggestions and opinions.

"I think it's been a very positive process so far. We've reached out
through a number of ways to all groups, neighborhood watch groups,
homeowner associations, service clubs."

The association has been lobbying the City Council to listen to its
concerns. In December, the association drew up a list of major issues
relating to the Boeing plant property use and airport development that
is a framework for an official submission to the environmental review
for PacifiCenter.

The environmental impact report draft is likely be released Jan. 14,
Russell said, and will be circulated for public comment for 45 days. The
report and comments, as well as subsequent responses by project
managers, would be submitted to the Planning Commission in July and then
to the City Council.


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