FAA rules, zoning limits shape Flagstaff Airport development plans

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — At a Flagstaff Airport Commission meeting, Airport Director Brian Gall said federal oversight of city-owned airport land constrains what the city can build on the airfield and that rezoning and federal approvals will be required before the airport can add non-aviation uses or expand certain developments.

Gall told commissioners that the Flagstaff airport sits on about 800 acres of property the U.S. government conveyed to the city in 1948 for airport purposes and that the airport also holds roughly 313 acres of navigation easements. He said the Federal Aviation Administration treats land conveyed for airport use differently from land the city bought or annexed and that the FAA requires consent for non-aeronautical uses on conveyed property.

"The incompatible land uses on the airport, including residential use, are prohibited by FAA policy and are contrary to federal obligations," Gall said, reading FAA guidance to explain why housing is effectively off limits on conveyed parcels. He added that the FAA evaluates mixed-use proposals case by case to determine whether the non-aeronautical component would conflict…