Fairfield planning commission forwards Airpark Mixed Use Zone ordinance to town council

The Fairfield Planning and Zoning Commission voted Sept. 22 to forward Ordinance 2025-16 to the Town Council with a positive recommendation. The ordinance would repeal and reinstate Fairfield Town Code section 10.11.260, rename the Airpark Zone to the Airpark Mixed Use Zone, and amend Town Code section 10.16 to add additional special uses; the package includes two FAA advisory circulars and an Airports and Land Use guide as exhibits.

The commission said the changes are intended to align local airport-related land-use rules with federal guidance and Utah law. Commission members discussed references to FAA advisory circulars, 14 CFR Part 77, and Utah Code 72-10-403 (the Airport Zoning Act) as the regulatory basis for several new provisions and easement requirements in the draft code.

During discussion commissioners and staff reviewed Exhibit A (the proposed Airpark Mixed Use Zone text) and Exhibit B (standards for special and conditional uses) and asked staff to ensure the exhibits were explicitly listed in the motion. Town staff confirmed the packet also included FAA advisory circulars as Exhibit 1 and the 2018 Airports and Land Use Guide as Exhibit 2. The commission agreed to include those exhibits in the motion forwarded to council.

Commissioners also examined numeric limits and grandfathering language. The draft ordinance lists a maximum of 29 allowed aircraft and 29 hangars for the town's small airport; commissioners noted the code text elsewhere refers to a 20-hangar small-airport standard. Staff said the airport currently has 29 hangars and suggested treating the extra nine as grandfathered because prior permits had already been issued. The commission discussed runway-length classifications as written in the circulars and agreed that numeric thresholds in the exhibit are pragmatic approximations tied to the FAA guidance, with a policy decision point if future physical expansions are proposed.

No amendments were made to change the ordinance’s stated references to 14 CFR Part 77, FAA AC 150/5300-13B, or Utah Code 72-10-403; staff and an engineer in the meeting flagged wording and formatting edits but not substantive policy changes. After clarifying the list of exhibits and confirming wording changes requested by staff, the commission moved to forward the ordinance with a positive recommendation to the Town Council. The motion carried; Commissioners Kilton, Tyler Fisher, David and Wayne voted yes.

The commission also briefly discussed cancelling the Oct. 1 meeting and asked staff to post any cancellation on the town website. The planning commission adjourned at about 7:51 p.m.

Next steps: the ordinance package, with Exhibits 1 and 2 (FAA circulars and Airports and Land Use Guide) and Exhibits A and B (Airpark Mixed Use Zone and Standards for Special and Conditional Uses), will be considered by the Fairfield Town Council at a future meeting.