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Editor's note: While
airport issues are primarily relevant to
residents of north Tempe, where the bulk
of landings occur, south Tempe also is
increasingly affected by the ongoing
expansion of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
This column by Hut Hutson, a member of
the Tempe City Council and chairman of
the council's Finance and Aviation
Subcommittee, touches on a subject of
potential interest to all residents of
Tempe.
Much has been made of the
recent discussions between Tempe and
Phoenix about the height of planned
buildings near Phoenix Sky Harbor
International Airport. Our neighbor to
the west contends that all the hoopla is
largely an issue of passenger safety.
Yet I see things differently – I see
this as fundamentally about fair play.
Tempe is concerned first
and foremost about the safety of air
travelers – we all are. If a plane ever
experiences the loss of an engine and
needs to get back to the airport after
takeoff, we want that airline to be able
to execute its “engine out” plan
flawlessly and safely.
My position is that the
real story behind our current
discussions is about one thing: economic
development. Phoenix’s downtown is in
the midst of a revival, with projects
under way and planned in the
residential, retail, educational and
office sectors. Problem is, that
momentum is colliding with Tempe’s own
booming downtown.
Rather than competing to
execute shared agendas, we should be
reasonable. But:
Is it reasonable that, in
2001, the FAA declared Tempe’s proposed
Arizona Cardinals stadium site a hazard,
while never issuing a similar warning
about Chase Field?
Is it reasonable that Sky
Harbor says that Tempe’s planned
Centerpoint Condominiums are an “engine
out” hazard, but that Collier Tower in
Phoenix has never been declared a
hazard?
Is it reasonable to
conclude that “A” Mountain in Tempe
(which is in the flight path) is not a
hazard, but that the proposed 30-story
Centerpoint towers are dangerous, though
they are not in the flight path?
Is it reasonable for
Phoenix to consider a development north
of Symphony Hall that features 500-foot
towers, but unreasonable for Tempe to
consider a proposal for 343-foot towers?
Is it reasonable for
Phoenix to consider as safe a Southwest
Airlines engine-out procedure that goes
over downtown Tempe when all other
airlines – who devise their own
engine-out plans – have a procedure that
sends engine-out aircraft north and
east?
Is it reasonable for Sky
Harbor’s director to directly
communicate with Tempe developers,
demanding that they cease and desist on
a project when no building permit has
been issued and no construction has been
started?
Bottom line: Tempe cares about the
safety of the flying public as much as
any other community. But let’s approach
this issue from a level playing field,
with rules that apply to all. |
