An Arizona community has taken a stand against development that would have encroached on its general aviation airport.
The Chandler, Ariz., City Council unanimously voted Dec. 9 to deny an extension of a rezoning that would have placed 15 residential units within 1,200 feet of the Chandler Municipal Airport’s terminal building. The zoning change lapsed when a three-year window for development expired. The extension request had been forwarded to the city council for final action by the local planning and zoning commission.
AOPA urged city officials in a Nov. 15 letter not to permit development that was incompatible with airport operations and with the city’s contractual obligations as a recipient of more than $30 million in federal airport improvement funds since 1982.
“The City Council recognized the implications of allowing additional residential development in close proximity to the airport, and expressed a desire to limit any residential use of the subject property as much as will be legally possible,” said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of airport advocacy.
Dunn credited the work of local pilots who attended municipal board meetings and presented decision leaders with key information on the implications of incompatible land use in the vicinity of an airport. In Chandler, there are already homes nearby whose residents complain about the airport. Adding more “would just increase the number of residents impacted,” he said.
The 13-acre property on which development had been proposed was to revert to its prior agricultural zoning classification.
