County will issue its final McClellan-Palomar (Palomar) Airport Master Plan (PMP) in late 2015. The PMP will likely call for a runway extension up to 900 feet. Carlsbad and county will likely claim an extension does not expand airport operations, require Carlsbad planning or zoning action, or need voter approval.
But for the reasons listed in the last two CarlsbadPatch articles, the extension expands the airport capacity within the meaning of the dictionary term “expansion” and should require Carlsbad planning and/or zoning action.
Why Raise the Voter Issue Now?
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The Carlsbad City Charter provides:
“Section 300. Local Limits of Growth Control. The citizens of Carlsbad recognize and declare that managing and limiting growth and ensuring that necessary public facilities are provided to the citizens of the City of Carlsbad are quintessential elements of local control and therefore are municipal affairs. The adoption of this Charter recognizes and reaffirms the principles of the growth management program established by the citizens as Proposition E in 1986 and affirms the principle that this program that implements a municipal affair shall be superior to and take precedence over any conflicting general laws of the State of California. The intent of this Charter is to allow the City Council and the voters to exercise the maximum degree of control over land use matters within the City of Carlsbad.” [Emphasis added]
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Extending the Palomar runways and taxiways and related future improvements will cost $100+ million. Contractors and vendors typically raise rates once a year. For each 1% rise, the cost of a $100 million project rises $1 million per year. So it is in the county’s and Carlsbad’s interest to avoid any delays to the project that result from challenges related to a runway extension.
If Carlsbad and county truly believe Carlsbad voters have no right to vote on a runway extension, they can easily provide certainty for future development. Just use the well-recognized process of asking the court to declare what Carlsbad Municipal Code § 21.53.015 and Carlsbad Conditional Use Permit 172 require. (See the last two articles for a discussion of these provisions.)
