Montgomery Field Looks Good to Tax Man, Developers

Tim Coffey, writing in Monday's San Diego Daily Transcript ("Regional chamber studies revamp of Montgomery Field"), inadvertently let us know about a so-far secret plan to have the city, which owns MYF, close it down, disperse its 600+ GA aircraft to "neighboring" facilities, and build a bigger tax base of homes, condos, shopping malls, and some industry, even as it puts established businesses out of business.

The plan has the look of a "civic-minded" idea -- the fire department would get a piece of the action, to build a bigger facility -- something it would need, as 35 pricey homes per acre would be added to their responsibility.

Perhaps it's a gas-saving deal: a "knowledgeable source" told the paper, "This would take care of a major problem for the high-tech and biotech industries, which is having their employees live close to the facility... because now they would never have to leave the property." Cool -- instant ghettoization.

The paradox for the anti-airport folks is hard to understand: on the one hand, their complaints -- noise, air pollution, danger -- are exactly what they introduce into the area, when they turn open airport areas into high-density commercial and residential properties. There must be something else afoot.

FMI: www.sannet.gov/real-estate-assets/montgomery.shtml