Wed, Nov 30, 2011
But Peotone Residents Say They Don't Want To Move, Sell
Homes
The need for greater airport capacity in the Chicago, IL area
has met with political resistance for decades. O'Hare
International, which sits on 7,000 acres and is the metro area's
primary airport, got agreement from two holdout airlines, American
and United, to move forward with part of its improvement package
back in March, but an actual expansion in the number of runways has
been mired. To the south, the smaller Midway Airport has had more
than $700 million in improvements over the past decade, but much of
it in areas such as parking capacity and cosmetics.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and other
proponents of a third airport located even farther south of Chicago
say their idea is the real answer to congestion. They came a step
closer to their goal recently when the FAA approved a Facility
Requirements Report for IDOT's proposed master plan for the South
Suburban Airport in Peotone, IL, 46 miles south of Chicago (see map
inset). The Chicago Sun-Times reports the new airport would have a
9,500' runway and a terminal with four gates, passenger and cargo
aprons, and facilities for corporate jets. But only 2,300 of the
5,000 acres required to start construction have been secured.
Unlike NIMBY battles, this is the rare case in which the
residents were there first. The Sun-Times reports that among the
landowners prepared to fight a buyout or eminent domain battle is
Anthony Rudis, age 100, whose home is a converted barn in the
village of Monee, IL. Rudis questions whether the airport is really
needed, and so far has denied the state's requests to enter his
home to appraise it. "They wanted to invade and come in, but I told
them it wasn’t for sale."
George Ochsenfeld, president of STAND, short for Shut This
Airport Nightmare Down, has questions. “What about the school
districts? Or the tax flow? Or the pollution? What kind of
clientele is going to use the airport? This makes me feel
awful.”
IDOT says the recent FAA approval of the master plan will result
in development of an environmental impact statement that will
address those concerns.
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