Moffett Field Timeline, 1995 - 1996
1988 - 1994
1995
February
- To cut budget, NASA plans to transfer NASA/Ames' space program work
and Moffett Field operations to other locations. [31]
March
- In light of NASA budget cuts, San Jose and Santa Clara County leaders
propose using Moffett for general aviation. [32]
- Lenny Siegel proposes housing and recreational open space as a better
use for Moffett. [33]
April
- Senior NASA officials recommend that Ames shift toward the private
sector by forming a science consortium with Bay Area universities and industry,
moving aerospace operations to Langley Research Center. [35]
May
- NASA/Ames officials reject information systems as the center's only
role, insisting on an aeronautics mission. [36]
June
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission publishes Regional
Airport System Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area. Moffett is considered
unsuitable for commercial aviation, but is listed as a potential"reliever
airport" for general aviation.
December
- Air cargo companies propose a regional cargo center at Moffett with
up to 18 jet flights daily. [3]
- Residents criticise the plan. Jeffrey M. Weiss wrote [5],
the plan "would subject 170,000 citizens in the most densely populated
part of the valley (Mountain View and Sunnyvale) to noise that is currently
banned from San Jose International Airport". Sunnyvale Mayor Robin
N. Parker wrote"I join with the citizens of Sunnyvale who value a
quality of life free of noise pollution and who are offended that we should
be asked to endure early morning flights that are unacceptable to San Jose
residents." and "the council will not accept recommendations
which have been developed by the San Jose City Council, or other outside
interests, without any contact or participation by the city of Sunnyvale."
[9] Timothy K. Risch asked,
"Is it not possible that the loss in property values and the decrease
in quality of life will dwarf any projected cost savings to local businesses?"
[6]
- The policy of Mountain View and Sunnyvale is to maintain NASA control
of Moffett. [7] [14]
1996
January
- San Jose gives notice that Moffett Field will be included in the SJC
airport master plan update.
- Sunnyvale officials deliver a sixteen page letter
(32KB) to San Jose and Federal Aviation Administration officials opposing
the plan. The San Jose Mercury News reported that the letter threatened
to sue [8], however the letter
itself merely states that Sunnyvale is "the process of evaluating
its legal rights and remedies with regard to any adverse impacts."
I.e., determine whether the City of San Jose has jurisdiction, and what
recourse Sunnyvale has. Now lawyers always veil their threats, and the
threat of legal action is implicit in any letter from an attorney. But
the tone of the letter seems to me to suggest that if San Jose considers
the objections raised, and considers that costs and benefits must ultimately
be traded off region wide, then it will not proceed with any plans for
Moffett and a lawsuit will not be required. The Sunnyvale Sun newspaper
[13], reports that "if
San Jose and the FAA continue to press a plan that is 'neither practical
nor feasible,' according to legal analysis received by Sunnyvale, the city
will demand an evaluation of Moffett Field that discusses all potential
impacts of civil aviation." The Sun also reports that San Jose City
Attorney Joan Gallo said "San Jose is not studying Moffett Field as
an alternative and does not have a project in mind for it."
- The Mercury News
reports
that the airport battle will center on SJC's master plan to be adopted
by San Jose city council by the end of the year. Three of the four alternatives
in the plan would increase capacity at the San Jose airport from 8.6 million
people to 17.6 million. Gary Burke, president of the Santa Clara Valley
Manufacturing Group is quoted as saying "If you could ignore the wishes
of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, it probably makes logical sense to have
air cargo at Moffett. But we are not prepared to ignore their wishes. They
must agree to the use of that airfield, because we believe it is within
their sphere of influence."
- Unsurprisingly, views expressed on the ba.transportation news group
seem to be correlated with where the writer lives.
- Why Moffett instead of SJC, SFO, OAK?
February
- Sunnyvale officials say there is not any formal air cargo proposal
to act on.
March
- March 23. The public received the first specifics of the air
cargo proposal, as Mountain View assistant city manager Nadine Levin gave
a lucid explanation in a presentation at a public
committee meeting.
- GAO releases a report on the
CRAF program.
June
July
- Public meetings uncovered numerous
flaws in the report. See comments
by the Alliance for a New Moffett Field.
- NASA admits that it does not have statuatory
authority to bring in air cargo, contrary to earlier representations, but
that special legislation would be
required.
- The Alliance for a New Moffett Field asks Mountain View and Sunnyvale
to put air cargo on the November ballot, and to consider other options
in addition to air cargo.
- July 23 NASA delays final Environmental Assessment by approximately
6 months, suggests formation of a citizens' committee to examine alternatives
for maintaining Moffett as an airport, and asks
cities not to hold a vote on air cargo in the November general election.
- July 26 Alliance for a New Moffett Field welcomes the suggested
citizens' advisory committee, but asserts that its' scope should include
"not only air operations, for alternative sources of revenue to support
NASA's ability to remain a viable entity in this community", and maintains
that the public vote on air cargo is still
necessary.
- July 29 Mountain View public meeting on air cargo operations
at Moffett Federal Airfield
- July 30 Mountain View City Council Meeting. Item 7.2 on the
agenda was consideration of whether to allow the citizens of Mountain View
to vote on the air cargo proposal. The council placed the question on the
ballot as Measure J.
- July 30 Sunnyvale City Council Meeting. Item 2 on the agenda
was consideration of whether to allow the citizens of Sunnyvale to vote
on the air cargo proposal. The council decided not to hold a city wide
vote on Moffett until the questions and options were better understood.
August
October
- City View program on Moffett
Field airs in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Community College cable network.
November
- San Jose Airport master plan updated
- November 5 Commercial aviation defeated
by a margin of over 2 to 1 in Mountain View advisory election
- November 20 Mountain View and Sunnyvale formed a Moffett
Community Advisory Committee to study possible uses of Moffett
December
- Community Advisory Committee convenes
