Development plan in Leesburg still an airport threat
It was a bad idea before, and it's a bad idea now. AOPA has reiterated its position against the Crosstrails development near Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia. Building more than 1,500 homes directly under the traffic pattern of one of the Washington, D.C., area's busiest general aviation airports would only create noise complaints and future political conflicts. Even worse, it could lead to airport suffocation. Since late last year, there has been a zoning amendment proposal hovering around the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors that would open the door for the development. For the past six months, supervisors have heard opposition to the plan in public hearings. In May, action on the plan was tabled until a June 5 meeting. In a letter to the board, AOPA challenged false statements appearing recently in local media. AOPA has pointed out before that the airport has more than $30 million in federal Airport Improvement Program funds that require it to remain open - without any restrictions on aircraft operations or hours of operation - until at least 2025.
June 1, 2007
