January 24, 2020:  Memorandum sent to the RDU Airport Authority (RDUAA)

From: Dr. Jean Spooner, Chair, The Umstead Coalition

At 3:26pm on Thursday, January 23, 2020 a “Notice of Special Meeting of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board on January 27, 2020” (at 1pm) was emailed to those who had requested such notices.

The first stated purpose for this special meeting is: “to consider the Terminal 1 Expansion Program.”

This “expansion” is likely going to be a staff request to for SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES to the Aeronautical Component(s) of the Vision 2040 Plan ALP (Airport Layout Plan).  In particular, adding a substantial increase in the number of new gates and larger expansion of Terminal 1 than promised under the Vision 2040 public plan.  In addition, potentially moving forward with lengthening the eastern runway.

These actions, if approved, would SUBSTANTIALLY increase air traffic impacts to William B. Umstead State Park.  The result would be substantial negative impacts to Umstead State Park.

The current Vision 2040 calls for all but five (5) of the new gates at RDU to be on the WEST side of the airport, and the replacement (and longer runway) to the west to be built BEFORE any lengthening of the runway near Umstead State Park be considered.  Those were the public commitments made under Vision 2040.

In addition, adding substantially more gates with Terminal 1 expansion (near Umstead State park) than included in the Vision 2040 Plan would be in direct CONFLICT with the recent key recommendation from the RDU Airport Infrastructure Development (AID) Task Force, Regional Transportation Alliance that recommends terminal expansion on the WEST side of the airport, away from Umstead State Park (http://letsgetmoving.org/RDUAID), specifically, the RDU Task Force recommendation sates:

“Consider creation of a new “terminal 3” – north of terminal 2, away from Umstead State Park”

Please consider your RDU Task Force recommendation, solicit public input, then consider alternatives first - prior to considering such major changes in Vision 2040 ALP that would increase the detrimental impacts on William B. Umstead State Park, a Park since 1934 and a 4(f) property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Download a PDF of the email here.