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Editorial: Development near base isn’t worth closure risk

Sat., April 14, 2012

Some development plans on the West Plains are making regional officials nervous about whether Fairchild Air Force Base can maintain the breathing room necessary to draw a new generation of refueling tankers and ward off the next round of base closures.

Given the huge impact the base has on the area’s economy, this ought to concern everyone.

The Spokane County commissioners recently sent a letter to Airway Heights officials noting that proposed zoning changes in that city could unduly encroach on the air base. A steering committee working on encroachment issues recommended tighter limits on residential and commercial developments near the base. Airway Heights officials initially agreed, but now some of them believe the no-development zones are too widespread.

So the city might allow apartments within a noise zone where the Air Force wants no housing. In addition, the Airway Heights zoning changes on commercial land could pave the way for even more apartments.

Airway Heights planners say they are responding to the demand – some from Air Force members themselves – for more diverse housing. And to solve another base encroachment issue, many people in manufactured homes need to be moved. Some might move into apartments.

Airway Heights leaders have also endorsed the Spokane Tribe’s proposal to build a large casino, hotel and retail complex one mile east of Fairchild.

If the base becomes too hemmed in by urban development, it risks being closed. While it would appear the base is out in the open now, the reality is more complicated.

As Col. Paul Guemmer, the 92nd Air Refueling commander at Fairchild, noted in a recent column for The Spokesman-Review, the base is already facing several constraints. Because Spokane International Airport is nearby, military air operations are restricted to northwest of the base. In addition, military aircraft avoid flying over Eastern Washington State Hospital, Airway Heights Correctional Facility and Sunset Elementary School. Aircraft also must maintain a height of at least 5,000 feet over the city of Spokane.

The Fairchild Joint Land Use study delineates “incompatible developments” that would constitute encroachment. Other bases have been closed when urban growth restricted the types of missions they could undertake.

We respect Airway Heights’ desire to expand opportunities for its residents, but the preservation of the base is paramount. Fairchild is the region’s largest employer, with an enormous economic impact.

With possible defense cuts on the horizon, regional leaders are combining their efforts to protect the base against another round of closures. In addition, the Air Force is going to need somewhere to park the new generation of refueling tankers. The competition is expected to be fierce.

Airway Heights’ leaders are urged to look beyond short-term gains and gauge how their plans could affect the survival of the base. After all, if it closes, those tempting new developments could follow suit. It’s not worth the risk.