Ann Arbor City Council defeats airport expansion; local activists and Pittsfield leaders celebrate

Ann Arbor City Council voted 8-3 on Dec. 2 against two resolutions to accept Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) planning funds and to award a contract for preliminary design work on a proposed expansion of Ann Arbor Municipal Airport’s primary runway, community advocates and Pittsfield Township officials said.

The vote follows a 17-year campaign by the Committee for Preserving Community Quality (CPCQ) and a sustained partnership with Pittsfield Township opposing the runway extension. Andrew McGill, CPCQ co-lead and a Pittsfield Township resident, said the council’s decision was the group’s “perfect Christmas present.”

The council’s rejection halts the immediate use of MDOT grant money to begin planning work, though legal and administrative actions related to the project remain pending. McGill said CPCQ and Pittsfield have an active appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and MDOT approval of a finding of no significant environmental impact; a separate case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Why it matters: opponents argue the expansion would increase jets and larger aircraft over population centers, raise noise and public-health risks, and reduce nearby property values and tax revenues.…