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The Town Council gave unanimous final approval Tuesday to a controversial proposal to rezone the Hilton Head Island Airport to lock the runway at its current 4,300 square feet. If Beaufort County officials ever want to lengthen the runway, they will have to submit a rezoning request to the town -- a process that involves several layers of review and opportunities for public comment.
The issue spurred some of the most heated public response in town history. Council chambers overflowed with supporters and opponents during several meetings and a citizens airport group that included pilots, real estate agents, business owners and travelers organized an extensive grassroots opposition campaign that included newspaper ads attacking the motives of council members and an e-mail publicity blitz.
The town's concern about runway expansion is all hypothetical. No public officials are proposing any changes to the runway; the town and county councils both have resolutions on record opposing airport expansion; the Federal Aviation Administration says it won't push for a longer runway; and all indications suggest the two commercial airlines are happy on the island. The town had feared, however, that under the previous arrangement, the county could approve a runway expansion without the town's input.
"I keep reminding myself what is not at issue here, and that is whether or not the current runway should be lengthened," Councilman Drew Laughlin said. "The issue that is under discussions is whether we ... should have a legal role in making that decision if and when the time comes."
Opponents said again Tuesday that the council was acting prematurely without understanding the consequences. Some said it will drive away the commercial airlines, while others made dire predictions about property values nose-diving.
The private group Citizens to Protect the Hilton Head Island Airport said the council was being shortsighted in its evaluation of the airport as an asset to the business community or for evacuation needs.
"It must be realized that airport improvement is a long-term project of safety, and changes in air service need to be anticipated, not reacted to," said Anne Esposito, a member of the county Aviation Advisory Board and a former airport manager.
But John Curry, also a board member and an initial opponent of the measure, said he was assured after the council promised to act aggressively if commercial service were ever threatened and to continue moving forward quickly with a study to determine what possibilities exist for the runway.
With the national organization for pilots and aircraft owners and a high-profile Charleston aviation attorney getting involved in the debate, Curry said the issue speaks to the same values of local control over local issues that the town was founded on in 1983.
Councilman Bill Ferguson, whose question raising the specter of racism at the last council meeting led to a mass walkout, tempered his comments Tuesday. But he said he was disheartened that no one mentioned the effect on the surrounding native island neighborhood.
"I still haven't heard from the ... proponents of the airport expansion about the well-being of the people that live around that area," he said. "I can assure you they're not squatters. They purchased the property long before Hilton Head was discovered."
The town now faces a possible lawsuit from the pro-airport group and its attorney, Mark Fava, a former Delta corporate counsel. Groups opposing the measure include the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors.
