This week, Cherie and I were in the studio with Raleigh Jenkins. Raleigh is the co-founder of CAN - Concerned Airport Neighborhoods, a citizens group formed in 2000 to monitor and participate in the airport planning process for T.F. Green Airport. The expansion of this facility is one of the most hotly debated topics in the state. In fact, close to 500 people packed a Federal Aviation Administration meeting June 14th for information about what expansion at T.F. Green Airport will mean for city neighborhoods. The FAA spent more than an hour outlining five proposals for expanding the runway to 9,350 feet, four of which have already been scrapped because they were too costly and had too much of an environmental impact. The one remaining option calls for the runway to expand north, thus relocating Airport Road and eliminating houses in the Spring Green neighborhood. The one remaining option calls for the runway to expand north, thus relocating Airport Road and eliminating houses in the Spring Green neighborhood. By contrast, a new, scaled-back option that would limit runway expansion to 8,700 feet, taking fewer homes and costing less was hardly discussed, though it is now believed by some to be the favored option. After talking with Mr. Jenkins it became clear to me that in spite of the statewide ramifications of the expansion, it seems the media treats this as a local matter and there is very little press outside of the Warwick Beacon. In spite of an Economic Impact Study of Rhode Island's airports showed that the commercial and general aviation airports generate $2.1 billion in economic activity each year with T.F. Green Airport activity reaching nearly $2 billion. Earnings totaled $660 million, and the airports are responsible for employment of 23,318 professionals. So, clearly the continued economic viability of the airport is not a NMBY-ists cause, the Airport is a critical economic engine for the state, most notably in the stimulation of tourism and business development. This Week's Real Estate Insight: While the expansion of T.F. Green most directly affects those who live closest to the Airport, the future economic viability of the Airport affects the entire state's economy. It is in the state's best interest to come up with the fairest balance between expansion and preserving the surrounding neighborhoods.T.F. Green Airport Expansion
- By Michael McCann
- Posted
This week, Cherie and I were in the studio with Raleigh Jenkins. Raleigh is the co-founder of CAN - Concerned Airport Neighborhoods, a citizens group formed in 2000 to monitor and participate in the airport planning process for T.F. Green Airport. The expansion of this facility is one of the most hotly debated topics in the state. In fact, close to 500 people packed a Federal Aviation Administration meeting June 14th for information about what expansion at T.F. Green Airport will mean for city neighborhoods. The FAA spent more than an hour outlining five proposals for expanding the runway to 9,350 feet, four of which have already been scrapped because they were too costly and had too much of an environmental impact. The one remaining option calls for the runway to expand north, thus relocating Airport Road and eliminating houses in the Spring Green neighborhood. The one remaining option calls for the runway to expand north, thus relocating Airport Road and eliminating houses in the Spring Green neighborhood. By contrast, a new, scaled-back option that would limit runway expansion to 8,700 feet, taking fewer homes and costing less was hardly discussed, though it is now believed by some to be the favored option. After talking with Mr. Jenkins it became clear to me that in spite of the statewide ramifications of the expansion, it seems the media treats this as a local matter and there is very little press outside of the Warwick Beacon. In spite of an Economic Impact Study of Rhode Island's airports showed that the commercial and general aviation airports generate $2.1 billion in economic activity each year with T.F. Green Airport activity reaching nearly $2 billion. Earnings totaled $660 million, and the airports are responsible for employment of 23,318 professionals. So, clearly the continued economic viability of the airport is not a NMBY-ists cause, the Airport is a critical economic engine for the state, most notably in the stimulation of tourism and business development. This Week's Real Estate Insight: While the expansion of T.F. Green most directly affects those who live closest to the Airport, the future economic viability of the Airport affects the entire state's economy. It is in the state's best interest to come up with the fairest balance between expansion and preserving the surrounding neighborhoods.
