I had written earlier about the closing of the municipal airports and what they had become. (Austin Mueller and Denver Stapleton). Closing an airport is never straightforward. There people who want the municipal airport closed when the bigger newer airport further from the city is opened and there are others who want the smaller airport near the city center to stay open.
Edmonton in Alberta Canada is a case in point. The larger airport was opened in 1960. In 1995, it was decided that all scheduled jet passenger service will be consolidated at the larger airport (Edmonton International Airport-EIA). EIA is located 16 miles (26km) from downtown Edmonton.
The Edmonton City Centre Airport plays an important role in air ambulance service for the province of Alberta and for general aviation. It also host aviation related activities. However, it hinders commercial development in the downtown area as the 2 runways causes significant height restrictions that prevents the growth of the downtown area. The Airport is in the top left corner of the picture and the downtown area is in the bottom right corner of the picture on the north bank of the river.
In 2009, the City Council decided on a phased closure of the airport and on Aug 3, 2010, the north-south runway (16/34) was closed.
From the Edmonton City Government website:
City Council voted in July 2009 to implement a phased closure of the City Centre Airport after 18 months of study, analysis and public input.
Status quo was not an option:
- one of the runways would have required up to $10M in capital upgrades to remain operational other upgrades were estimated at up to $35M over the next 5-10 years
- revisiting the cap on passenger traffic would have incurred significant legal liabilities
Current status:
- One runway has been closed, one runway remains open.
- The open runway can remain operational until Council determines the land is needed for redevelopment, based on market demand.
- Air ambulance services (mostly patient transfer) continue to operate at the City Centre Airport, and can do so for the foreseeable future.
Why close?
In making their decision, Council requested an analysis of five main perspectives: historical importance, economic impact, market feasibility, medevac, and public consultation.
Council also discussed the potential of the land for the citizens of Edmonton. Redeveloping the land into a family-focused, residential/commercial community that will be a world leader in environmental, cosmopolitan development would benefit Edmonton by:
- helping rein in urban sprawl and create family-focused neighbourhoods in the heart of our city
- modeling an environmentally sustainable community where people can walk to their work, amenities, parks, recreation and services.
- eliminating height restrictions on development elsewhere in the downtown core.
- increasing revenue to the City over the long term (between $91M and $486M), which helps reduce the burden on taxpayers. The City received $1.1M in taxes annually from businesses on the land.
Council voted for a phased closure of the airport, over time, with the following considerations:
Medevac:
- Changes to medevac will only occur when Alberta Health Services has sufficient plans and facilities in place to ensure patient safety and undisrupted service.
- Emergency helicopters can land at Edmonton hospital helipads. The majority of air ambulance flights that land at the City Centre airport are fixed-wing aircraft that carry patients for medical appointments.
Economic impact
- The City will be the land developer and gain the revenue from the development and from business and property tax.
- The Edmonton Economic Development Corporation supports the closure of the Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA) because the redevelopment of the ECCA land "is in the economic best interest of the city." Read more
Redevelopment:
- The City has announced five finalists in an international design competition for the lands. Each will receive a $50,000 honorarium for further developing their proposals, but the 33 submissions did not receive any payment.
- The public will have the chance to review the design proposals and public consultation will help shape the final neighbourhood development.
Environment:
- Remediation would have to occur regardless of future use of the land - as an airport or neighbourhood.
- From preliminary tests, which covered more than half the property, only three small areas may have limited environmental contamination.
Historical importance and preservation
- The City will incorporate our aviation heritage in the community development, such as with street and neighbourhood naming, and by using aviation facilities for museum space.
- The Aviation Museum is an integral part of our City’s heritage and the City aims to enhance the museum’s role and to advance the concept of a Mall of Museums on the site.
You can get a taste of the ongoing situation at the following links:
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