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Resident urges commissioners to limit Piney Point redevelopment air operations to UAS
Summary
A Tall Timbers resident asked St. Mary''s County commissioners to prohibit general aviation and seaplane operations at the proposed Piney Point Terminal redevelopment and to restrict air activity to class 1'through 3 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
Kurt Engel of Tall Timbers told the commissioners that while removing tanks at the Piney Point Terminal is "certainly in everyone's interest," he opposes adding a private general aviation runway or seaplane base near his neighborhood.
Engel said the proposed runway would be "less than 1,500 feet from our neighborhood," and called that proximity "too close," arguing that private aircraft operations would be unsafe and unnecessary given the county's existing airport. He also described a proposed seaplane base on Piney Point Creek as impractical because the creek is "quite shallow."
Engel said he supports redevelopment for testing and building class 1 through 3 UAS, but asked the board to require any zoning permits for the site to "stipulate that the air operations be confined to class 1 through 3 UAS systems only." He characterized private general aviation at the site as "not a good plan" and said such additions would bring air operations closer to houses and schools.
The remarks were made during the public forum portion of the commissioners' meeting; no formal zoning or permit action appears on the transcript and the board did not record a decision on the request during the session. Engel asked for county consideration of a zoning condition that would limit permitted aviation uses at Piney Point to UAS activities only.
