Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wednesday Wishlist: Latest Moffett/SJC 2025 Concept

Today's Wednesday Wishlist comes courtesy of Anthony Dominguez. This is actually a revised version of the proposal posted last year regarding moving SJC to Moffett Field. As always, I'm sure there are going to be a lot of comments around this.

The main changes in this version are:

1) New runway is 7,000 ft in length vs. 10,000ft.
2) Hangar One is now envisioned as the iconic airport terminal of a future SJC, vs Hangar's Two and Three.
3) Road access provided via new roadway system and ramps from Ellis Street/101.
4) 40-gates vs 50, which is the maximum now envisioned for current Mineta/SJC.

Click here to read the full proposal!






11 comments:

  1. Huh? SJC just reopened pretty much. Don't get the fascination with Moffet, which will never happen...

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  2. We do not need an SJC replacement, this is just silly. SJC is perfect right where it is. Anyone who wants an airport on the Peninsula just needs to get in their car and drive to SFO...

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  3. Thanks again Josh for posting. Before anyone criticizes this idea (which is your right), I'd highly suggest reading the entire document AND having some sense of vision. Remember, the future of San Jose and Silicon Valley is vast, and we need to start discussing how are city (with an ever growing population) will look/function post 2025-40. IMHO, airports don't belong in the downtown of a major American city; they belong bay side at existing airfields. That is all.

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  4. This should have happened decades ago, and while I agree with the vision, I just don't seeing it happening in the next 50 years. In the meantime, I think San Jose should focus on becoming a dense, walkable, and bike friendly city and start thinking and looking like it's the 10th largest city in the US. Not one crane on the skyline while major cities all over the country are building like crazy. Just take a trip 50 minutes north and look at all of the cranes and pile drivers in action if you want to see progress...and then keep driving north up through Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

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    1. Agree. In terms of pressing issues or wish lists, messing around with the airport is near the bottom of priorities. San Jose sorta sucks in a lot of basic, being a real city kind of ways. Let's start fixing that first with some actual residents living and working - and being attracted to the downtown core.

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    2. In all fairness there is a crane for the convention center expansion, which is a pretty substantial project. But I agree, now is the time to get some cranes in the air.

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    3. @JA,
      I agree that possible relocation of SJC operations should be way down the priority list. Heck, at the present it shouldn't even be on the list period. I'm talking about 15-20 years in the future. Again, how do we want San Jose to look in, say, 2050?

      In terms of cranes downtown, just a hypothetical: if I'm a developer who just purchased a (say) 2-acre surface lot in DSJ, would I rather build to 14-stories or to 50? Which would make more profit and sell with REAL views? Just asking...

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    4. There are plenty of 'real' good views to be had from the DTSJ's fledgling highrises. True, SJ will never have SanFran's skyline, but you certainly don't need 50 stories to have good views. Check out AXIS the 88 if you haven't taken a gander. Pretty sweet.

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  5. Without trying to sound overly zealous, if there's any issue that I'm an expert on, it is this debate. As a Bay Area based commercial airline pilot, military member, and aviation scholar, I can say that this proposal is highly unlikely. Barring the state's incredible deficit and associated budget problems, there are a host of issues that make this proposal improbable. SJC, an airport which already has difficulty retaining resident airlines, is in stiff competition with the SFO and OAK. Sad that the BA's most populous city, with the newest airport and best weather, struggles to stay afloat.

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    1. If the airport continues to struggle to stay afloat, and if Moffett isn't an option for the future, then I say: IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM!
      think about consolidating SJ/Silicon Valley airport operations at SFO or OAK (or both). San Francisco/San Jose IA or Oakland/San Jose IA. With minimal expansion, both SFO or OAK could easily absorb SJC's measley capacity, and both will be easily accessible via Caltrain and BART in the future. A true downtown and grand urban development at Mineta in exchange for ridding ourselves of the SJC albatross? Something to also consider in the future...

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