CLEVELAND — Advocates for Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL) are asking for a chance to be heard.
In a letter to Cleveland City Council members, the Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership (LAPP) is urging the Council’s Transportation and Mobility Committee to schedule a hearing with airport proponents and stakeholders on Mayor Justin Bibb’s proposed closure of Burke Lakefront Airport.
“Over the past year, discussions regarding the future of Burke have accelerated significantly. The city has released redevelopment concepts, pursued federal engagement related to closure, and continued advancing a public narrative around the future of the site,” the LAPP wrote. “At the same time, those of us who operate businesses, employ local residents, invest capital, and rely on the airport every day have not been provided a meaningful public opportunity to present our concerns, ask questions, or respond to many of the assumptions being made about the airport and its future.”
The committee has already held four hearings on the issue and only heard from the mayor’s office and its handpicked witnesses, according to airport advocates. At the April 1 hearing, Committee Chair Charles Slife said he was committed to scheduling a hearing to hear from airport supporters as it is “clear that there is more work to be done and more voices to be heard.”
“Despite four hearings and repeated discussions of stakeholder engagement and public input, airport tenants, operators, aviation users, and employers have still not been provided with a dedicated public forum to present our concerns and analysis,” the LAPP wrote. “The hearings focused primarily on redevelopment concepts, closure pathways, environmental conditions, and studies commissioned by the city. While those perspectives are important, the businesses and organizations most directly impacted by a potential closure have not been given a comparable opportunity to present operational, economic, legal, and aviation-system impacts for public consideration.”
In response to the letter, Slife said, “It is still fully my intention to have one or more committee hearings to offer users and proponents of Burke the opportunity to offer input and share their perspective,” and said that “while Burke is certainly important, there is no definitive redevelopment plan or legislation before Council seeking approval for closure,” and “time sensitive issues and active legislation” have taken priority.
“The mayor continues to mislead taxpayers by claiming that the airport is underutilized, operating at a deficit, and that other airports can absorb the nearly 50,000 flights that go into and out of Burke Lakefront every year,” said Kyle Lewis, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association‘s Great Lakes Regional Manager. “It is vital that City Council and the public hear the other side. The mayor’s plan puts lives and livelihoods in jeopardy, puts taxpayers on the hook for an unknown amount of money, and will lead to lost economic opportunities for Cleveland — which are badly needed.”
Airport advocates continue to urge the mayor and the city of Cleveland to work with the FAA to develop an Airport Master Plan for Burke Lakefront, which would provide an unbiased path forward that takes the needs and concerns of all parties into consideration.
“We believe that process will show what the LAPP has said all along — that the best outcome for Cleveland is keeping the airport open while exploring the possibility of opening compatible land for new development,” said Lewis.
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