Alachua County planning commission recommends approval of private landing strip on Tyrone property

The Alachua County Planning Commission on a voice vote recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve application Z25000021, a special‑exception request to allow a private landing strip on a 2.5‑acre portion of a roughly 170‑acre parcel near Paynes Prairie.

Growth Management Department staff presented the application and recommended approval with conditions that would: limit operations to daylight hours, require necessary FAA and FDOT approvals, prohibit storage of aviation turbine fuel on the property, and attach the legal description for the special‑exception area. Staff described the runway as a short, bush‑plane style strip approximately 850 feet long and said no new construction is proposed in the special‑exception application.

John Tyrone, the property owner and applicant, told the commission he owns the adjacent land and intends to file FAA paperwork to keep flight paths away from houses toward Paynes Prairie. "I take the plane up for an hour and land it during the day," Tyrone said, adding the plane is not yet airworthy and the strip would be for his private use only. He said he expects infrequent use — roughly an hour on a Saturday or every other weekend — and that he would not allow other pilots to use the field.

Commissioners raised questions about precedent, environmental impacts, noise and wildlife. A staff speaker said the county has had only one similar private‑strip special exception in the last 30 years (2009) with comparable conditions. The Environmental Protection Department reviewed the full parcel and, for the reduced legal description under consideration, reported no concerns. Mark Brown of DPD said the proposed location avoids regulated trees and wetlands and is the most appropriate site on the property from an environmental perspective: "That's a perfect location because everywhere else with the 800 feet, you're pretty much gonna have to take out a regulated tree," he said.

Commissioners also clarified the proposed fuel restriction. Staff’s recommended condition originally referenced turbine fuel; a commissioner asked that the restriction cover petroleum‑based aviation fuels generally. Tyrone agreed that he would not store fuel on the site.

During the meeting a commissioner disclosed that they are a pilot and that the strip is near their home; no request for recusal was recorded and the commissioner participated in discussion. Following discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of Z25000021 with staff conditions, striking the specific turbine‑fuel wording and adding a condition that the runway remain unpaved (grass). The motion was seconded and the chair called for a voice vote. After no public comments were offered, the chair declared the motion approved and the item recommended to the Board of County Commissioners.

Next steps: the planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action. The planning commission also approved routine business items, including minutes and its annual work plan, before adjourning.