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GUEST COMMENTARY - Palm Springs has approved a plan to expand its airport, PSP. There is no doubt that our airport is an important part of the tourism engine which is vital to Palm Springs’ tax base and economy. However, an expansion of the size and scope under consideration threatens to do significant damage to our city’s neighborhoods, residents and the assets which make Palm Springs so popular in the first place.
PSP sits on a 900-acre plot in an area which is boarded by both commercial and residential development. PSP currently accommodates roughly 3 million passengers annually; the proposed expansion will double that capacity to 6 million. That enormous expansion is certain to generate environmental threats from both air and street traffic (especially to residential complexes adjacent to the airport). By comparison, Ontario Airport currently serves some 6 million passengers a year on 1,800 acres in industrial and warehouse zones.
If PSP is doubled in size, our small-town atmosphere, quaint neighborhoods, easy access to extraordinary natural resources and a thriving small business community could all be seriously damaged. Damage which must be measured against the resulting benefits.
Ontario Airport spews about 2.5 tons of pollution (including PM 10, minute pollution particles which generate significant health risks) per day. Credible studies suggest that pollution from jet liners spreads between 5 and 10 miles from airports; adding even more vehicular traffic to that threat simply compounds the potential for unhealthful conditions throughout our city.
The threat is even more distressing because the majority of visitors arriving at PSP do not reside or spend in Palm Springs. 60% of PSP passengers leave Palm Springs immediately; millions of visitors land in Palm Springs and then travel to other cities. Golf tournaments, a major tennis tournament, entertainment venues notably including the Coachella Festival and Stagecoach all take place well beyond Palm Springs. That stark fact is the why the PSP expansion plan proposes a massive new rental car structure (or two of them) which will clash with the architectural esthetic of the current PSP facilities as it generates explosive new jet and vehicular air pollution and noise. For millions of tourists, PSP is no more than a brief stop-over, generating zero advantage to our city while serving the economies of surrounding communities who do not and will not share the burdens of expansion.
At the very least, any exploration of expanded air travel to the Coachella Valley must include a thorough examination of alternatives. Jackie Cochran Air Port in Thermal, for example, has a 1,800 acre foot print and virtually no surrounding residential properties. That facility has ample room for expansion while offering access to the Valley’s assets which is just as convenient as PSP.
On balance, the advantages of expanding PSP appear to be overwhelmed by the potential damage it will cause. Since the well-being and health of our city and its residents hang in the balance, nothing less than a careful, considerate and cautious exploration is required. The City of Palm Springs needs to do a Health Impact Assessment as part of the CEQA study and the EIR currently under way. There are four schools within one mile of PSP, one elementary school is within a quarter mile. What will this pollution hotspot do to children’s or senior’s respiratory conditions? How can this be acceptable to all the neighborhoods which border PSP?
The future of Palm Springs literally depends on how – or if – we decide to more than double the impact our airport has on our daily lives.
(Steve Somers is long time visitor to Palm Springs and a resident since 2018. As a business owner for 30 years, I understand the need for communication and community engagement. I want this area to be healthy for my grandkids who are 1 and 3 and live in the area.)
