Chino Valley planning commissioners hear strong opposition to proposed Perkins Ranch airfield

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — The Chino Valley Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 6 heard a three-hour public hearing on a request to rezone roughly 390 acres of Perkins Ranch and approve a conditional use permit (CUP) for a privately owned airfield proposed by the Perkins family in partnership with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Staff and the applicant described the first phase as a 5,000-foot runway with visual (non‑tower) flight operations, training using Cessna 172s and Diamond DA42NGs, operating hours roughly 05:30–23:30 and a phased development plan that would require separate development agreements and council review for phases 2–4. Heidi Short, the applicant’s representative, said flight operations are projected to begin in “late 2026 or early 2027” and that the initial airstrip would be about a $15,000,000 investment.

Why it matters: The proposal would change long-standing land use in an area designated in the town’s general plan as ranch/agricultural, allow training operations that include repeated takeoffs and landings, and create infrastructure demands for roads, emergency services and habitat mitigation. Staff recommended the commission hold the public hearing and forward a recommendation to town council on the rezoning (DC202503) and the CUP (CUP202505), but the commission did not record a final council decision during the meeting.

What staff and the applicant told the commission

Will, identified in the record as assistant director of Development Services, summarized the site and zoning context and said a boundary survey increased the project acreage to about 390 acres. Laurie (staff) explained that the CUP would authorize only the phase‑1 airfield concept and that each phase would require a development agreement approved by town…