The Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership (LAPP) is asking Cleveland City Council’s Transportation and Mobility Committee to schedule a hearing on Mayor Justin Bibb’s proposal to close Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland.
In a June 9 letter to council members, the group said airport tenants, users, operators and employers have not had a dedicated public forum to respond to the proposal. Cleveland City Council previously held a series of hearings on the airport’s future. Those sessions included discussion of early redevelopment concepts for the 450-acre lakefront site and questions about cost, timing, public access and aviation impacts.
“Despite four hearings and repeated discussions of stakeholder engagement and public input, airport tenants, operators, aviation users, and employers have still not been provided with a dedicated public forum to present our concerns and analysis,” LAPP wrote in the letter. “The hearings focused primarily on redevelopment concepts, closure pathways, environmental conditions, and studies commissioned by the City. While those perspectives are important, the businesses and organizations most directly impacted by a potential closure have not been given a comparable opportunity to present operational, economic, legal, and aviation-system impacts for public consideration.”
In response to the letter, Transportation Committee Chair Charles Slife told AOPA he still intends to hold one or more hearings for Burke users and proponents. He also said there is no final redevelopment plan or legislation before council seeking approval for closure and that time-sensitive issues and active legislation have taken priority.
“The mayor continues to mislead taxpayers by claiming that the airport is underutilized, operating at a deficit, and that other airports can absorb the nearly 50,000 flights that go into and out of Burke Lakefront every year,” AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis said. “It is vital that City Council and the public hear the other side. The mayor’s plan puts lives and livelihoods in jeopardy, puts taxpayers on the hook for an unknown amount of money, and will lead to lost economic opportunities for Cleveland—which are badly needed.”
LAPP said it is continuing to ask Cleveland officials to work with the FAA on an Airport Master Plan for Burke Lakefront.
