Board approves private airstrip at 6315 Suicide Bridge Road with inspection and safety conditions

The Dorchester County Board of Appeals approved a special exception allowing a private, invitation-only turf airstrip on a portion of the 6315 Suicide Bridge Road property.

Staff described the proposed strip as roughly 1,863 feet long and 75 feet wide, to remain turf with no fuel sales and limited to piston general-aviation aircraft. Staff told the board the proposal would not increase lot coverage and that the 100-foot tidewater buffer on the property is fully vegetated; the staff memo concluded the proposal complies with Chesapeake Bay critical-area regulations. A Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) letter read into the record stated the MAA had "no objection to the establishment of a private use, noncommercial use airport at the proposed location," contingent on county zoning approval and an FAA airspace determination.

Applicant Hunter Brooks told the board the runway would be kept as grass, operations would be restricted to invited guests and certificated pilots, and overhead power lines near the site would be buried. Steve Newer, the Cambridge/Dorchester regional airport manager, testified in support and said the airstrip would add a safety 'safe-haven' gap to local general aviation infrastructure.

Board members probed operational details including inspection frequency, runway maintenance, pilot qualifications, and limits on nighttime use. The board discussed the code language that requires provisions for periodic inspections "no less than once a year" to ensure glide-slope/clearance and whether the county could rely on MAA/FAA assistance. The board concluded that inspection responsibility should be assigned to county staff coordinated with qualified agencies and the MAA as needed.

After covering the special-exception criteria and attaching conditions related to periodic inspection, maintenance and limitations on hours of operation (nighttime flights restricted except for emergencies unless appropriate lighting and approvals are installed), the board voted to grant the special exception. The chair announced approval and instructed the applicant to provide the county with the required FAA and MAA determinations and to coordinate inspections for registration and final inspection.

The approval is contingent on the applicant ensuring safe runway maintenance and providing required documentation to county staff and state/federal agencies; the MAA indicated it will schedule a final inspection and airport registration after receiving county and FAA approvals.