Residents near Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose say they want a bigger role in deciding what happens to the property as Santa Clara County continues working toward the small airfield's eventual closure. A new report highlights their push for more input into the site's future, even as the timeline for shutting the airport down remains years out.
The call for more community voice is not new. Back in 2020, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to move forward with closing the East San Jose airport and begin what was described as the long process of community outreach, according to CBS News. At that time, at least 150 community members spoke at the board meeting, sharing their visions for repurposing the airport property with ideas ranging from affordable housing to social services, educational resources and open space, per the same report.
During the year before the November 2020 closure vote, the county had carried out focus groups, large community workshops, and more than a dozen neighborhood presentations as part of its outreach for the Reid-Hillview Vision Plan, the earlier CBS News coverage noted. The county's Reid-Hillview planning included a Vision Plan in 2020, according to the Santa Clara County Facilities and Fleet Department.
Two October Crashes Reignite Closure Calls
The push for input has taken on new urgency following two airplane crashes last month. As Local News Matters reported, the two recent crashes stemming from the East San Jose airport prompted residents and elected officials to renew their efforts to close it. One of those incidents was a crash on Capitol Expressway on October 17 that injured three people aboard a small plane that had taken off from Reid-Hillview, the outlet reported.
County officials were finalizing bids to hire a vendor who will develop cost estimates and identify potential barriers and opportunities for projects outlined in the 2020 Reid-Hillview Vision Plan, the same report noted. County reporting also indicates that residents will continue to provide input on the property's future, although not every proposed project will move forward.
Lead Fuel Restrictions and Lingering Health Concerns
Airport-related health concerns have also shaped the debate. Santa Clara County previously restricted the use of leaded aviation fuel at its airports in 2021, following concerns about children's exposure to lead near Reid-Hillview, according to San José Spotlight.
Earlier this year, the county's Roads and Airports Department said it was hosting public meetings to discuss updating the business plans for both Reid-Hillview and San Martin Airports, seeking feedback from airport users, surrounding neighbors and the public, per a media advisory from the County of Santa Clara, Office of Communications and Public Affairs. The federal obligations tied to the airport mean 2031 remains the earliest possible closure date, a constraint that has repeatedly come up in local coverage of the long-running dispute.
A Years-Long Pattern of Pushback
The frustration voiced in the latest report echoes years of similar complaints. CBS News has previously covered neighborhood activists gathering to renew their demand that the airport be closed during the airport's Community Festival, and separately reported on residents who wanted the airport shut down years earlier than planned, along with what pilots had to say about that push. Those earlier stories, paired with the newest CBS News video report on residents wanting more input, suggest the debate over Reid-Hillview's future is far from settled even as the county keeps working through its long-planned outreach process.
