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Keene airport director urges FAA screening, recorded noise disclosure for Swanzey house near runway
Summary
Keene airport director told the Swanzey ZBA the city supports Swanzey’s land‑use authority but asked for FAA Part 77/obstruction screening and a recorded noise/overflight disclosure for any home built adjacent to airport‑owned land; the board required FAA screening and a tax‑card disclosure.
Ryan Cooley, director of the Dillon‑Hopkins Airport in Keene, spoke to the Swanzey Zoning Board on July 20 about land‑use compatibility around the airport. Cooley asked the board to consider the airport’s long‑range development plans, to require FAA obstruction/Part 77 screening, and to require a recorded noise/overflight disclosure for future owners.
Cooley said his office’s role as airport sponsor includes ‘‘reasonable action to encourage compatible uses near the airport’’ and that the city had submitted written comments and a land‑development study for the record. He recommended submission of site coordinates, ground elevation, maximum roof height, and a completed FAA notice‑requirement tool; if the FAA requires further review under 14 CFR Part 77, the board should ensure the outcome is resolved before construction. "We want to make sure that the land use is compatible with normal airport operations," Cooley said.
Board members debated whether the ZBA or downstream building‑permit/code‑enforcement processes are the appropriate forum for FAA review. Planning staff and several board members agreed that, because building permits carry no public notice requirement and because the parcel’s access is from Keene, requiring completion of the FAA tool before a building permit is prudent. The board recorded that requirement as part of the variance approval.
