Many hurdles await mayor's airport plan

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Mayor Rick Baker unveiled his proposal for Albert Whitted Airport nearly two weeks ago, it was widely viewed as a compromise with something for both the airport's supporters and opponents.

Baker would close one runway and sell up to 28 acres of the land to private developers. He would use that money and federal and state grants to extend the remaining runway and add amenities that airport users want.

While the plan offers political solutions, it would have to overcome significant hurdles.

To extend the runway, St. Petersburg would have to fill in more than 6 acres of Tampa Bay. The city likely would have to fight for years to win permission from three government agencies.

Money also is an issue.

Baker acknowledges that he is not certain that his proposal, estimated to cost roughly $38-million, will pay for itself. The city would have to pay about one-third of the project's cost, according to a draft estimate prepared by the Tampa-based DMJM consulting firm.

Meanwhile, Baker's staff is estimating the potential value of the airport property that would be sold. The value depends on what voters and developers want to build there, city development administrator Rick Mussett said.

The City Council has scheduled a Nov. 12 meeting to talk about the airport's future. If council members endorse Baker's proposal, it will be just the beginning.

State regulators and the Army Corps of Engineers would scrutinize the environmental impact.

"Have we permitted anything similar in recent years? The answer would be, "No, we haven't done anything of that magnitude affecting the bay,' " said Mike Zavosky, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, one of the regulatory agencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration would weigh how the proposed changes would affect pilots and planes.

The FAA would have to decide whether factors such as the prevailing winds around the airport make the airport suitable for just one north-south runway. Small planes like those at Whitted can take off and land into the wind more safely.

Baker would close the runway that runs most nearly east-west. The approaches to that runway bring airplanes in low over two hospitals and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Closing it would make the city safer and let those institutions construct taller buildings, Baker said.

Rusty Chapman, manager of the airports division for FAA's southern region, said the agency rarely approves the closing of runways in which the federal government has contributed money. When it does, "it's normally on airports that might have two or three old runways and it's obvious that they don't need both."

Because the FAA hasn't examined Whitted yet, it's unclear how it would view closing one runway.

The city would start the effort to fill into the bay by filling out a lengthy environmental application.

Both the state DEP and the Corps of Engineers would review it. Baker proposes extending the airport's north-south runway by filling in the bay 736 feet to the north, toward the Pier along an existing breakwater. The extension would be about 400 feet wide.

"On this one, we know fish habitat is going to come up, and there's potential for historical and archaeological resources," said Ron Silver, the Corps of Engineers chief of permits for the area.

The public also will have the chance to express concerns. There are bound to be some.

Tampa Baywatch executive director Peter Clark said his organization was closely monitoring Baker's plan. He said fill projects hurt water quality and damage fish and wildlife habitat.

"Tampa Bay has undergone a huge amount of dredging and filling activities," he said. "Twelve square miles of the bay has been filled in. Before we realized what we were doing, it was a very common practice. Now we realize the consequences."

St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, just north of St. Petersburg, has been waiting two years for permission to extend one of its runways into Tampa Bay. It would require much less filling than the Whitted proposal, though it would destroy sea grass.

That airport hired a consultant, which wrote a phone book-sized environmental assessment. The FAA is reviewing it now, airport director David Metz said.

"We're optimistic that in 2003 we can start design and then start construction in '04," he said. "It's about a four-year process."

Baker said he became confident that the city could get permission to fill into the bay after talking to the city's consulting firm, which specializes in such projects.

"Our consultants felt we had a pretty good chance," Baker said.

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