SPRINGDALE -- The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved 9-0 a plan to build up to four new hangars at the Springdale Municipal Airport but rejected 7-2 the developer's requests for variances of the city's design standards for commercial properties.
The city hopes to put into place design standards specifically for airport hangars by early January, said Patsy Christie, planning director. The developer would have the choice of which standards he follows, she said.
Bill Adams, a local businessman, plans to donate up to $700,000 to the city to build a 10,000-square-foot hangar on city on the east side of the airport, said Wyman Morgan, director of administration and finance.
The Airport Commission plans to use state grants to build three matching hangars on the site, said Chairman Neil Johnson. The other hangars will be similar with the infrastructure for all designed and constructed together.
Adams said he'll lease the hangar from the city once the structure is completed to store four aircraft used in his businesses, including Vendor Consulting Group and Tightline Aviation. He also would have the opportunity to lease spots for storage to other aircraft owners, Morgan said.
Commissioner Ben Peters said during a Nov. 17 meeting airport structures can present a unique situations. For example, landscaping immediately adjacent to an airport runway can't provide shelter to animals that might run onto the runway and into the path of an airplane, he said. Trees and water lines also come into play.
He suggested the city consider developing new standards for such buildings. Christie said she, her staff and the commission will develop them by the first of the year. Adams, as benefactor, agreed and can move forward with his larger plans, she said.
Adams and the city, through Garver Engineering, requested waivers dealing with landscaping and design details for the hangar. The commission denied any variances.
The new standards might loosen some design standards as Adam's hangar will sit closest to the airport runway and hidden from Old Missouri Road if the others are built, suggested Commissioner Peyton Parker. Landscaping for this one hangar has been pushed to the outer boundary of the of the entire development site, which sits next to the road, he said.
"For me, it's all about the screening," Parker said.
Christie said the city has taken great efforts and implemented standards to redevelop downtown Springdale, which will include Northwest Technical Institute. The post-secondary school sits just to the east of the hangar site, across from the intersection of Ford Avenue and Old Missouri Road.
"We want quality development," she said. "We don't have a problem with the location or how it ties into the airport."
The city also plans to improve the intersection of Ford Avenue and Old Missouri Road in conjunction with a 2018 bond project creating access to Ford and the city's industrial district on Butterfield Coach Road.
The Airport Commission has long considered building hangars with spaces available for rent to airplane storage, Johnson said. Space for corporate aircraft is especially in demand, he said.
James Smith, airport manager, said the city typically has a waiting list of 50 people wanting to rent space, although the number varies with economic conditions of the Northwest Arkansas region.
The airport sees about 170 takeoffs and landings, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Once the first hangar is built, the commission plans to start construction of the others, Johnson said.
"The idea started with one hangar and someone to take the post position," Johnson said.
"We can't lose," Morgan said. "We own the hangar and lease it to him for 30 years. Then we get it back and lease it to him at a market rate."
The lease agreement requires the city to pay property taxes, insurance and maintenance, Morgan said.
The city owns "hundreds" of hangar spaces at its airport, Morgan continued.
The city's four largest hangars bring in $8,547 a month, he said. Smaller hangars rent at 15 cents per square foot.
Rent also varies based on amenities such as insulation and power doors for the airplane bays, Morgan added.
Most hangars on the east side of the airport are privately owned, Morgan said. But the city does own 5 more acres south of the site that are eyed for similar development.
In other business, the commission approved rezoning 106 acres on the east side of Hylton Road, just south of the Charlie "C.L." and Willie George Park in the southeastern area of Springdale, as well as a development plan for the site.
Brentwood Village subdivision development will include 401 residential units in single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses.
Laurinda Joenks can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWALaurinda.