Chino Valley hearing on proposed Perkins airstrip draws heavy opposition; commission continues hearing for more technical details

Dozens of residents told the Chino Valley Planning and Zoning Commission that a proposed rezoning and conditional‑use permit to allow an airstrip on Perkins family land would erode the town’s rural character and harm nearby homes, horses and a local Buddhist retreat center.

At a public hearing the most commonly voiced concerns were noise and repetition of flight patterns, threats to wildlife and livestock, potential declines in property values, and legal liability for the town. Matthew Vasquez, who said he and his wife have been return visitors to the Garching Buddhist Institute since 1999, told commissioners the proposal "is clearly incompatible to place an airfield with its well documented detrimental impacts into the midst of preexisting homes, neighborhoods, and businesses" and that the site conflicts with Chino Valley’s 2040 plan.

Speakers described direct experiences with aircraft noise. Selena Handy said the proposed hours "from 05:30AM to 11" would be "unheard of" and said repeated aircraft sounds would be "ongoing and unavoidable" for nearby residents and could spook horses. David Wilkin raised legal and financial questions, asking whether the town had considered potential lawsuits under what he referred to as "Prop 207" and ARS Title 12 and whether the town’s insurer was prepared for possible claims for reduced property values or damages.

Family members of the landowner and supporters also spoke. Margaret Perkins recounted her family’s history in Chino Valley since 1900 and urged a unanimous vote in support, and Bailey Perkins said her family and livestock are accustomed to aircraft noise and favor the project.

Representatives for the applicant, identified in the record as Embry Riddle University, answered questions about site selection, operations and mitigation. An Embry Riddle speaker said the group had explored five potential county sites and that this site showed enough initial progress in discussions with the town and the Perkins family to pursue. On noise mitigation the applicant described operational measures—"full stop taxi backs" instead of touch‑and‑go patterns—to keep aircraft at higher altitudes over populated areas and said standard training operations typically limit aircraft to roughly four in the pattern to reduce repetition. Mark Paslick of design firm GMC cited FAA advisory circulars and aircraft performance categories in explaining why the proposal calls for a roughly 5,000‑foot runway.

Commissioners and staff asked the applicant to provide a definitive list of potential flight operations (including whether maneuvers such as stalls would occur), data from the demonstration flight profile, more accurate flyover timing and a clearer statement on fuel types and lead content. Staff confirmed the proposal will include a development agreement in phase 1 to codify conditions and enforceability; commissioners asked for documentation about the disputes and outcomes in Cottonwood and Clarkdale that residents repeatedly cited as precedent.

After public comment, the commission voted to close the public portion of the hearing and to continue the matter to next month for a follow‑up meeting focused on technical responses, documentation and a more representative flyover. Vice Chair (Speaker 15) moved to continue and the motion carried on a voice vote; the chair said staff would collect written technical questions to ensure Embry Riddle brings targeted answers to the next session.

The commission did not adopt zoning changes or grant the conditional‑use permit at the meeting; it set a continuance to allow staff and the applicant to provide the technical materials requested.