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Buckeye council reviews Airport Specific Area Plan kickoff, debates study boundary and stakeholders
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Summary
Consultants presented the Airport Specific Area Plan (ASAP) kickoff to city council, proposing a large study area (about 72 sq. miles) with a 5‑sq. mile activity center. Council members stressed targeted outreach to military and cargo operators, discussed expanding the ASAP boundary to protect approach/departure corridors, and heard plans for workshops and a Mobile Immersion Lab demo.
City staff and consultants introduced the Buckeye Airport Specific Area Plan (ASAP) and asked the council for feedback on project boundaries, public engagement and economic opportunities.
Mandy Woods, principal planner with Development Services, opened the project presentation and said the ASAP will refine land uses and design around the airport. Consultant Terry (project lead) tied the effort to the Imagine Buckeye general plan and displayed an initial "purple blob" activity center from the 2018 general plan. He described the ASAP as a refined land‑use and design document that can include guidance for compatible development outside the airport fence.
Consultants proposed a study area of roughly 72 square miles with an activity center of about 5 square miles, saying the larger study area is intended to protect airport operations and capture land‑use impacts beyond the immediate fence line. Terry walked the council through a four‑phase process (kickoff, public engagement, drafting, adoption) and said the team will use a three‑part workshop series, stakeholder meetings and a Mobile Immersion Lab (3‑D/VR) to help residents visualize alternative scenarios.
Council members debated the study shape (an "egg" or broader radius/sphere) and whether to include corridor parcels along State Route 85. One council member urged targeted stakeholder outreach to cargo carriers, Luke Air Force Base and major landowners before broad public calls: "talk to those major stakeholders first, and then allow everybody else to react," they said. Another council speaker emphasized protecting arrival and departure corridors and avoiding residential development under those airspace paths.
Consultants clarified the relationship among three concurrent efforts: the on‑airport Airport Master Plan (AMP), a long‑range vision with FAA concepts, and the ASAP (land use outside the fence). They said the AMP and long‑range vision will inform the ASAP’s future‑land‑use recommendations, and staff expects workshops to begin in July with subsequent planning commission and council hearings.
Council discussion highlighted near‑term economic opportunities (freight and industrial uses) as the easiest revenue path, with passenger service described as a longer‑term aspiration. No vote was taken; staff will incorporate council feedback on boundary size, stakeholder lists and design priorities and return with updates and a workshop schedule.
