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hi n dry

Beach Lover
Sep 12, 2005
205
28
see below article

lawsuit challenges new PCB airport
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Valerie Lovett Florida Freedom News
see entire article at sowal Environmental issue forum..
lawsuit challenges new PCB airport - SoWal Beaches Forum

PANAMA CITY ? A pair of Washington, D.C.-based environmental groups and a local pilots? organization filed a lawsuit in New York on Tuesday aiming to stop the planned relocation of the Panama City-Bay County International Airport to a 4,000-acre site at West Bay.

The suit challenges the Federal Aviation Administration?s record of decision, or ROD, released in September that determined the West Bay location is the best alternative to meet the airport?s operational needs.
...
?The FAA?s decision to build this ?airport to nowhere? is illegal,? said Melanie Shepherdson, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. ?The law is clear: The agency has to pick the alternative that is least damaging to the environment.?
......
Shepherdson said the groups want the court to throw out the FAA?s decision, effectively stopping the project that is set to begin construction early next year. She said the FAA also violated federal law when it failed to consider the cumulative environmental effects of the airport, including ancillary development spurred by the new airport.

And the FAA could be in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act thanks to recent spottings of a rare woodpecker along a nearby river, Shepherdson said.
...
Fred Werner, who heads up the Friends of PFN, said that falling traffic at the airport highlights the lack of need for a new one.
?Any reasonable growth in demand could be met by expanding the current airport,? Werner said.
....
The challenge, said Airport Authority executive board Chairman Joe Tannehill said, is not a surprise.
....
Tannehill said he does not believe the legal action will be of any consequence to the relocation effort. ?They?re hoping this will be tied up in court for years,? he said, ?but we?re going to move forward; we have no choice. To play their game is going to end up in disaster for this community.?
...


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pmd8

Beach Lover
Jul 27, 2005
142
25
As I've stated previously on this forum, Bay Countians voted against the new airport in a non-binding referendum. Those who favor the airport primarily use the argument that it will help foster growth in the area. I'm from Bay County and split my time between here and Miami.

How would it affect real estate? The price would probably go up. In Miami the median home price is about $355,000. We have a hard time attracting new teachers and nurses and many of them are planning to move to places where they can afford to buy a house.

While I like Miami, who in the world would want more growth, more people, more development? (Unless you're a county or city commissioner who also happens to be a developer or real estate agent.)

As far as the touted economic benefit, it is primarily limited to the upper tier of the population. An increase in tourism does nothing for the per capita income.
Miami is one of the poorest big cities in the country and gets 7 million tourists a year compared to 2 million in Panama City.

If we took the estimated $331 million cost of the new airport and instead bought some of our beautiful coastline for a park, wouldn't that be a better investment?
 
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mf

Banned
May 14, 2006
208
0
PMD: If we took the estimated $331 million cost of the new airport and instead bought some of our beautiful coastline for a park, wouldn't that be a better investment?

or improve roads, health care access, police or schools. heck. we don't have basic ambulance service here!

that's the kind of long term vision required to really improve home values.
i'm afraid most of the folks in charge are more about making a quick buck of the back of the community. yeah dude..that's what we really need..another shopping mall.

i thought the airport was a great idea until i lived here a while and realized that there was not any accountability on the part of local and government officials for the current residents.

they keep building house after house and we already have urban density without ANY of the benefits of an urban area. building more stuff here, doesn't make the stuff that's here already better. if i want my house to look over 8 million other houses and fight traffic. i can buy a cheaper house in LA.
 
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hi n dry

Beach Lover
Sep 12, 2005
205
28
If we took the estimated $331 million cost of the new airport and instead bought some of our beautiful coastline for a park, wouldn't that be a better investment?>>>

or improve roads, health care access, police or schools. heck. we don't have basic ambulance service here!

that's the kind of long term vision required to really improve home values.
i'm afraid most of the folks in charge are more about making a quick buck of the back of the community. yeah dude..that's what we really need..another shopping mall.

i thought the airport was a great idea until i lived here a while and realized that there was not any accountability on the part of local and government officials for the current residents.

they keep building house after house and we already have urban density without ANY of the benefits of an urban area. building more stuff here, doesn't make the stuff that's here already better. if i want my house to look over 8 million other houses and fight traffic. i can buy a cheaper house in LA.

you are so right!

The best County Commissioners we had , Lane Reese, Tim Pauls were driven
out by big developer money to put in the likes of Cuchens and Scott Brannon who are now in their pocket. Check out the contributions to the campaigns of those on the BCC and you will see who is owned by the developers.

Cindy Meadows is the ony one left who supports the locals and is concerned about the protection of the environment. Big money interests are already working on getting rid of her.
 

mf

Banned
May 14, 2006
208
0
hey hi and dry! if we can't fight the big money people.
let me know how can we help cindy??????
 
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00seer00

Beach Lover
Oct 12, 2006
112
3
PCB
The Airport is the best thing to ever happen to this area, Like it or not. St Joe is giving uo so much land to pull this off, the enviromentalist should be jumping for for joy.
 

pmd8

Beach Lover
Jul 27, 2005
142
25
Please tell me how the airport is the best thing to ever happen to this area.
Cheap flights for tourists? More people? It will certainly be the best thing to happen for St. Joe.

As far as the environmental aspect, why not use the already degraded land where the current airport is located rather than destroy 4500 acres, including 1500 acres of wetlands? They also plan to block off a creek. Even though Cheney's 757 landed at the old airport, if a longer runway is needed, they could extend the old one.

Why were the residents ignored when they voted against the airport?
 

00seer00

Beach Lover
Oct 12, 2006
112
3
PCB
Have you looked at what St Joe is giving up? 90% West Bay will never be built on. Thats 20+ miles of waterfront as well as 10s of thousands of inland acres. Yes it will bring more people and jobs to the area. Many Countys will grow from this new airport and that will be good for about 80% of the population. If you are not in the 80%, sorry.. your land will find a bottom sooner than the rest of the Country. Money might not be important to you but it is to most of us. The enviromental impact of St Joe developing West Bay is the greater risk to the enviroment. The Airport is north of hwy 388 and any streem has already been diverted to pass under the road.
 
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