The Philadelphia City Planning Commission on Tuesday
authorized the acquisition of 20.8 acres adjacent to Philadelphia International
Airport as part of the airport's long-range expansion plan.
A multistory airport rental-car building is one
possibility for the land, bounded by Island and Bartram Avenues and I-95 in
Southwest Philadelphia.
The city-owned Philadelphia airport's expansion plan
includes lengthening two runways, replacing current rental-car surface lots
with a consolidated rental-car center, and designing an automated "people
mover" to transport passengers between terminals.
Centralizing rental-car operations in a single facility
would provide more convenient access for travelers and reduce shuttle traffic
on airport roadways.
"The airport envisions that this could be a
potential place for a consolidated rental-car facility," which was
approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2010, senior City Commission
planner Martine Decamp told the board.
"This is one of the intended uses," Decamp
said. "The airport is still considering what the other possibilities
are."
The land is owned by the Philadelphia Authority for
Industrial Development (PAID), a public authority created by the city.
Money for the $14 million acquisition would come from
fees paid by airlines, restaurants, concessions, and other airport vendors, but
not tax dollars, said airport spokeswoman Mary Flannery.
The Philadelphia airport periodically buys nearby
properties and land to support airport operations and future growth.
City Council passed bills in June to acquire two other
small land parcels from PAID, and to clear up a former Conrail right-of-way
under an existing airport runway, Flannery said. Another measure authorized the
airport to buy two acres at 8365 Enterprise Ave. from Wood Smith Holdings for
$3.1 million.
The 20.8-acre land purchase must be approved by Council's
Public Property and Public Works Committee and voted on by the full City
Council in the fall.
Last year, City Council approved the $90 million purchase,
for the airport, of office buildings and 27 acres known as International Plaza
on Route 291, formerly the corporate headquarters of Scott Paper Co. There are
no immediate plans for the property adjacent to the airport, but the buildings
could one day be demolished to make room for other airport facilities.
For now, construction of a fifth new runway on the
Delaware River is on hold because of changing flying trends. Airlines are
flying bigger airplanes and packing more people on them, which has led to a
decrease in aircraft operations - takeoffs and landings. Delays are not as bad
as they were a decade ago. Thus, the need for a new runway is not as great,
airport officials have said.
Source: Philly.com
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