This website is to inform Carlsbad residents of the changes planned for CRQ.

 

This journey started with reading a newspaper article that stated - San Diego County was going to spend additional dollars to incorporate the CRQ 2013 Feasibility Runway Extension Study into the new upcoming 20 Year CRQ Master Plan.  According to the news article, $200 million or more would be spent to expand CRQ with a projected Net-Net return on capital of (at best) only $20 million over a 20 year period.

 

That amount of capital being spent for such a small return did not make sense.  There had to be some other reason why the capital was going to be spent.

 

To answer the WHY, it required a journey/investigation of more than a year.  The conclusions points to - actions have be taken and expressed by county officials pointing to San Diego County would like to turn CRQ into more than a small-plane general aviation airport.  A fact Carlsbad stated it would not agree to in a letter from then Mayor Frazee to the County at the time of moving the airport to Carlsbad.  The letter reportedly stated - Carlsbad was unalterably opposed to Palomar being used for commercial air-carrier activities.

 

But now, according to county officials, the airport designation has been changed.  In 2002, the designation changed from a "General Aviation Basic Transportation Airport" to a "Commercial Service-Primary Airport."

 

That action is and was in violation of Carlsbad's Conditional Use Permit 172 and Ordinance 21.53.015  The CUP 172 and the Ordinace together state any change in the airport designation requires a majority vote of the citizens of Carlsbad.  That never happened! 

 

Additionally, it is reported, since 2004:

 

 

 

If CRQ becomes a commercial airport with a longer runway than John Wayne's, it will not only destroy Carlsbad's quality of life, but the quality of life for all the airport surrounding communities.  You have to look no further than at any commercial airport and the noise and pollution that it generates.  That same noise and pollution will exist in all the communities around the CRQ airport.

 

To help prevent that, this website is trying to inform the Carlsbad citizens so they can act to preserve Carlsbad's quality of lifestyle, health and safety.  A "quality of life" created by the slow growth policies passed by its citizens in the 80's.  Those policies allowed our elected city officials to maintain the wishes of the citizenry and grow Carlsbad into the city it has become.

 

One of the initiatives circulated in 1979 was about the concern that the citizens of Carlsbad had no control of the expansion of CRQ.  At the time the airport was, as it is today, a one runway airport.  However, the county had plans to develop it into a two runway airport.  The citizens collected signatures to get some control over the airport and prevent the airport expansion into a two runway airport.

 

As a result of the initiative, Carlsbad officials transformed it into Conditional Use Permit 172 (CUP 172) and Ordinance 21.53.015.  Both gave Carlsbad the right to be consulted on changes at the airport.  Additionally, the combination of both CUP 172 and the Ordinance required any change to CUP 172 demands a vote and approval of the majority of Carlsbad's citizens.  To date - there has been no change to either document.

 

However, it is reported, over the years the county has made changes to the airport that push the meaning of CUP 172 to the limits.  That action now is to the point the citizens of Carlsbad's health and safety are being threatened.

 

Lastly, on more than one occasion, the County has announced it is interested in expanding air service from major airline companies.

 

"What's wrong with that? It would be convenient to get on planes at CRQ."

 

Convenient, yes, but at what trade-off?

 

The tradeoff is - just like San Diego (SAN) and John Wayne (SNA) airports, CRQ would have 79 to 110 seat large regional jets routinely taking off and landing.  But unlike SAN and SNA, by law, San Diego County cannot implement a mandatory curfew.

 

For the last twenty years, noise complaints have been registered at CRQ.

The County's solution has been to only archive those complaints.

 

With a longer runway at CRQ, it will be only a short time before contracts are signed and the communities around the airport will be inundated with a lot more noise, more pollution and safety concerns.

 

Then, there is all the infrastructure and cost required to support the projected 3,270,663 passengers.

 

Yes - Carlsbad's and North County's Lifestyle will change

 

 

 

 

If any information on this website is not correct, please do not hesitate to send the documentation and it will be corrected.