(A) Purpose and intent. The purpose of this section is, for the general welfare of the county and for safety of air navigation, to provide guidance and standards for those landowners within the county who wish to construct an airport facility or airstrip and to ensure that impacts on nearby landowners and the citizens of the county are fully mitigated. It is also to ensure that citizens have the opportunity to understand what is being proposed and to comment at public hearings.
(B) Airport defined. AIRPORT shall be any facility designed for the purpose of allowing aircraft to take off or to land. In Northampton County, an airport shall be further defined as one or more of the following types:
(1) Type H, Heliports. Any airport designed for the takeoff and landing of helicopters, with a landing area not greater than 10,000 square feet and a surface of either grass or pavement as specified in its special use permit.
(2) Type U/LS, Ultralight/Light Sport. Any airport landing strip designed for use of aircraft defined by FAA as being ultralight. Its maximum dimensions shall be 50 feet by 1,000 feet and its surface shall be grass/turf.
(3) Type P, Private Personal. Any airport designed for the private, personal use of the applicant and the applicant's family. Its maximum dimensions shall be 60 feet by 3,000 feet and its surface shall be grass/turf.
(4) Type M, Private Multiple Users. Any airport designed for the private, noncommercial use of subdivision lot owners, or other nearby landowners. Airport Type M is intended to have multiple users who may have personal or corporate airplanes or helicopters which use the landing strip and are hangered near or adjacent to the airport. Its maximum dimensions shall be 60 feet by 3,000 feet and its surface shall be grass/turf.
(5) Type A, Agricultural. Any airport where aircraft may take off or land for the purpose of applying agricultural chemicals. Its maximum dimensions shall be 60 feet by 3,000 feet.
(6) Type C, Commercial (Public). Any airport where aircraft of all types may take off or land to perform any of the above uses and to discharge or receive cargo and/or passengers and where fuel, maintenance and other support infrastructure are available. Such an airport may be either privately owned by an individual, partnership, or corporation; or it may be publicly owned by an incorporated town, city, county, state, federal government, or a public authority whose purpose is to operate such an airport. This section places no limit on dimension or surface type or the landing areas of a Type C Airport, although such specification may be made through special use permit or conditional zoning that permits a Type C Airport. The application and approval process requires detailed development plans and approval of the proposed facility by the Virginia Department of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration.
(C) Airport type to be disclosed.
(1) In addition to the submission requirements for SUPs and/or rezonings, any applicant for a special use permit or rezoning that would allow an airport to be developed shall disclose in the application for such SUP or rezoning which type(s) of airport are proposed to be operated along with a statement disclosing:
(a) All approvals for the use already received;
(b) All approvals for the use that still need to be obtained;
(c) All anticipated impacts of the proposed use (including, but not limited to, noise, use and disposal of hazardous materials, safety at the facility in the event of an air or ground accident, and traffic generation and access to the facility) and how they will be mitigated by the applicant.
(2) A change or addition in the type of an existing airport use shall require a new or amended SUP or rezoning with additional public hearing processes.
(D) Runway orientation. Applicants for a special use permit or rezoning proposing a new or expanded airport shall identify the locations of existing airports when justifying the orientation of new runways.
(1) All existing airports within a radius of 10,000 feet of the proposed landing area shall be shown at an appropriate scale on a sheet of the plat/ plan (the existing airports sheet) submitted with the SUP or rezoning application.
(2) The extended centerline of existing runways shall be indicated on the existing airports sheet of the application's plat/plan to a length of 10,000 feet from each end of the existing runways.
(3) The extended centerline of the proposed runway shall not intersect that of an existing runway any closer to the end of the existing runway than the distance in feet specified in the following table:
Existing Airport | New Airport Type | ||||
H | U/LS | P, A | M | C | |
H | NA | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
U/LS | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
P, A | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
M | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
C | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
(4) If extended centerlines intersect at a point closer to the existing airport runway than indicated in the table, then the proposed runway shall be reoriented so that its placement complies with the table distances.
(E) Runway over run areas. Any overrun areas proposed by the applicant or required as a condition of a special use permit or rezoning shall be clearly marked on the application's plat/plan and shall be designed and used only for emergency use, not for regular use in normal take offs and landings.
(F) Runway and landing area setbacks. The endpoints of all proposed runways or helicopter landing areas shall be no closer to the applicant's property line than 250 feet. Within this setback area there shall be no structures.
(G) Airports and nearby development. For airport types H, U, P, M, and A, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant/owner to limit any nearby development which might interfere with runway approaches through the acquisition of easements or other agreements from nearby property owners and the recordation of such easements with the Clerk of the Court. The extent and scope of areas and types of limitations on development to be included in such easements or agreement shall be based upon the characteristics of the proposed airport and the aircraft anticipated to use that facility. For Airport Type C an Airport Protection Overlay zone may be requested by the airport operators and granted by the Board of Supervisors as specified in § 154.2.162.
(H) Agreement on rules of the air. For airport types H, P, M, A, and C applicant shall contact the owners/operators of existing Type P, M, A, and C airports within 10,000 feet and propose a Rules of the Air Agreement. Such an agreement shall propose runway approach patterns, radio frequencies and other safety procedures that may be proposed for the new airport. Existing airport owner/operators shall have the opportunity to make alternative suggestions. Northampton County encourages airport operators to come to a mutual agreement on such safety procedures. However, if such mutual agreement cannot be reached, the applicant for a new airport shall propose approach patterns and radio frequencies which shall become public information through the public hearing process and inclusion in the minutes of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
(I) Virginia Department of Aviation (VDA) evaluation. Any applicant for a SUP or rezoning that will allow an airport to be developed shall submit the proposal, including runway specifications, runway orientation, over-run areas, Rules of the Air proposals and agreements, and any other relevant information, to the Virginia Department of Aviation (VDA) for evaluation and comment. The VDA response shall be made available to the county staff before any public hearings are scheduled.
(J) Additional standard for heliports and helipads. If any passengers are to be carried on a helicopter, compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards for helicopter parking position marking and passenger walkways is required.
(Ord. passed 4-12-2016)