The following is reprinted with permission of the author, Jean Black:
NEWS & RECORD, Tuesday, April 3, 2001
SECOND OPINION
Guilford's first duty is to residents
BY JEAN BLACK
Current land use as a result of Guilford County rezoning action over the past 27 years isn't consistent with possible growth of the Piedmont Triad International Airport, especially construction of a third runway.
In 1973, when confronted with restricting land for future airport growth or rezoning that land residential, the Guilford County commissioners chose rezoning for residential and thus influenced a great amount of residential growth near the airport. That residential growth is still going strong.
If we are looking at the possibility of a proposed third runway being constructed at PTIA and the possibility of a night-time FedEx air cargo hub along with it, residential neighborhoods for several miles around the airport will have to be eliminated. They won't be compatible with these new airport operations.
Home ownership is one of the most significant investments a person makes. The financial and human cost to taxpaying citizens from airport expansion could be much greater than any benefits derived from FedEx. Also, because of the history of this issue, I fear that trust in our local governments could be negatively affected by such an expansion of the airport.
I do not have a problem with restricting future residential construction in areas that are not compatible with normal airport operation. If the Guilford County commissioners had done this years ago, then land use would have been consistent with possible airport growth, including the construction of a proposed third runway.
What is the responsibility of today's commissioners? Should they respect the rezoning action taken in 1973 by their predecessors?
Some time ago I heard or read a statement to the effect that county government is the government closest to the people and that it reflects a partnership between its elected officials and the citizens it serves. County government should be a government that strives to be conscientious, enlightened and compassionate.
A 1941 state law enabled Guilford County to create the airport authority. However, the state legislators saw to it that the airport authority would have "concurrent right" with Guilford County. Why did they do this? Maybe the reason is that the airport is entirely within Guilford County, and the county has the responsibility to protect the safety, health and welfare of all its citizens. State legislators may have felt this warranted a need for checks and balances.
If one believes that county government is the government closest to the people, then Guilford County's first responsibility is to its citizens. The state, in recognizing the county's responsibility, did not make the airport authority autonomous. In fact, the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority is listed under boards and commissions of Guilford County government. Possibly the state legislators, in crafting this enabling act, anticipated a situation such as now exists with the proposed FedEx project at PTIA. The potential development of a night-time air cargo hub at PTIA may be consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration's responsibility to support locally sponsored projects that are consistent with federal transportation policies.
But development of the hub is not consistent with the residential development in the airport area, which the commissioners have influenced over the years through their rezoning actions. The proposed FedEx hub would be a sort hub -- a nighttime transfer station. Cargo planes would fly in and cargo planes would fly out This would happen during hours that most people are using to get a good night's sleep.
According to the 1997 and 1998 Official Guides of Guilford County: "One major responsibility of the Board is the influence over the type and extent of development that will occur in the unincorporated area of the county. The Board is the final authority on requests for changes in zoning and amendments to the County's Development Ordinances."
Should a business decision by FedEx be higher on the ladder than the rezoning decisions made by Guilford County over the past 27 years?
Should a business decision by FedEx be higher on the ladder than Guilford County protecting the safety, health and welfare of all its citizens?
-- Jean Black is a member of the land-use subcommittee of the Airport Area Update Committee.