Residents split over Briscoe Field's commercial expansion

Gwinnett County residents have had plenty to get mad about in recent years --- a tax hike, a stadium deal gone bad and a land-buying scandal that cost two county commissioners their jobs.

But nothing has divided residents of Georgia's second-largest county like the prospect of commercial passenger flights at Lawrenceville's Briscoe Field. The Board of Commissioners, which ultimately will decide, is split on the issue. A citizen committee produced two conflicting recommendations. Accusations of backroom maneuvering by commissioners and citizens studying the issue and threats of lawsuits have been flying.

The shouting may get louder in coming weeks as Gwinnett decides, possibly in June, whether metro Atlanta gets a second airport.

Which way the five-member commission is leaning is unknown.

"I don't know which way it will go," said Mike Royal, part of a group lobbying for commercial flights. "I will bet a large sum of money there will be a 3-2 vote."

The focus of Gwinnett's airport fears and hopes is a proposal by Propeller Investments to launch scheduled passenger flights to New York, Chicago, Miami and other cities. The New York firm has been mum on the specifics, and Gwinnett hasn't released Propeller's proposal, citing county purchasing policies.

In the past Propeller has said it wants to build a 10-gate terminal and use planes as large as Boeing 737s seating up to 140 passengers. That would be a big change for Briscoe, which currently serves corporate jets and other small aircraft seating up to 19 people.

County purchasing employees are reviewing the proposal. Even commissioners haven't seen it, per county rules.

But that hasn't stopped Gwinnett residents from weighing in.

Proponents talk about the jobs commercial flights could create and the convenience of zipping to Lawrenceville to catch a flight instead of enduring the hassles of traveling to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which is 40 miles south of Briscoe.

"You can get on a plane in Gwinnett and conduct business," Royal said. "It won't be a silver bullet for economic development. But it's part of the overall package."

Opponents --- many from neighborhoods in Lawrenceville and Dacula --- cite the effect that noise and traffic congestion could have on their property values and quality of life. Propeller insists the aircraft it envisions would be quieter than some of the corporate jets that already use the airport, but opponents don't buy it.

"We hear the Learjets," said Rex Walker, a homeowners association president from Lawrenceville. "We try to imagine 737s, and that's what gets us all concerned."

It's not just a debate among Gwinnett residents. Propeller Investments has been largely silent since it submitted its formal proposal in February, but it spent much of the last three years telling anyone who would listen how great its plan would be.

Last week, Propeller Investments confirmed it plans to partner with Aeroports de Paris, which operates about two-dozen airports around the world, to operate Briscoe Field, if Gwinnett approves its plans. The experienced airport manager would run day-to-day operations.

Jim Regan, a member of a citizen group that recently recommended Gwinnett reject Propeller's plans, said Aeroports de Paris "can't change the economic fundamentals of the airline industry," which he believes work against commercial service at Briscoe Field.

Waging a quieter campaign, Delta Airlines has lobbied against the general plan. The airline doesn't want to divide its operations between Hartsfield-Jackson and Briscoe (though it has said it would do so to ward off competition if commercial flights come to Lawrenceville).

Expert opinion so far has cast doubt on the viability of commercial flights. A study paid for mostly by the Federal Aviation Administration last year found commercial flights wouldn't be financially feasible at Briscoe Field.

Critics said the study envisioned something far larger than what Propeller is proposing. But two other aviation experts recently concluded it was unlikely that airlines would flock to a new facility that has never hosted scheduled passenger flights.

Passion is also on the opponents' side. They have rallied at County Commission meetings for nearly two years. Recently about 200 people attended a commission meeting to speak about the issue, most of them against commercial flights.

Walker was one of them. He threatened to sue Gwinnett if it moves forward with Propeller's plan. "We're serious," he said. "We'll take you to court."

Passion sometimes has devolved into acrimony. Last August County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash, who opposes commercial flights, canceled a vacation and surprised her colleagues by showing up at a commission meeting.

Nash accused some commissioners of trying to push the issue forward in her absence. A majority thought they had already voted 3-2 to seek formal proposals from companies interested in operating the airport. They accused Nash of stalling.

Since then, rancor among commissioners has subsided. But a citizen committee they appointed to advise them has been just as divided.

In December a majority of the committee abruptly voted to disband and told commissioners it only made sense to privatize the airport if it involved commercial flights. Opponents of commercial flights on the committee got no notice of the vote.

Commissioners reformed the group and asked it to keep working. But last week a majority --- this time opposed to commercial flights--- again surprised other members by approving a 22-page final report with a few hours' notice.

All of this is prelude to final commission action. Nash and Commissioner John Heard oppose commercial flights. Though no commissioner has endorsed them, three have said they have an open mind and want to see a specific proposal before making a decision.

"I think that once we address it completely and honestly and factually, then we can move on," Commissioner Lynette Howard said.

Copyright 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution