Jan. 19--Easterwood Airport leadership is pushing for new restrictions on its neighbors' land development so the Texas A&M-run airport can continue to grow.
Director John Happ said Wednesday that he has formed a committee to research the formation of an "airport friendly zone" in the western part of Bryan-College Station. The idea is still in its infancy, but Happ said restrictions could include building height limits and higher insulation requirements on property.
"It is the future of the airport that we are concerned with," Happ said. "I hope we can make it happen."
Happ will brief representatives from Bryan, College Station and Brazos County during a noon intergovernmental meeting Monday at the Brazos Valley Council of Governments building on 29th Street in Bryan. No action is expected at the meeting, and any decision on the sites would need to be approved by each individual government.
The idea, Happ said, is to give planes a clear path to take off and land at the airport and to make sure that structures built in that flight area are equipped to handle the noise. Development around some airports require planes to take sharp turns as soon as they take off, which can be uncomfortable for fliers and difficult for pilots, Happ sad.
The airport is located on the western side of College Station, near its border with Bryan. The majority of growth in the two cities in recent years has been eastward, but new prospects could be developing on the west because of the efforts to establish a biotechnology corridor there.
Happ acknowledged that some landowners likely won't support the plan because it would place restrictions on how they can use their property. The amount of land that would fall into the proposed restrictions hasn't been determined.
Other local officials were noncommittal about the idea. Bryan city staff declined to comment, saying they don't know enough yet what Happ will propose.
College Station Planning Director Bob Cowell said no official discussions on the project have occurred.
"College Station has always planned and regulated westside development with Easterwood Airport in mind, specifically to protect it from encroachment by incompatible development," Cowell said in an email. "Mr. Happ took an active role in the city's comprehensive plan update completed in 2009 as it related to the protection of this major College Station asset, so we feel confident Texas A&M's interests are protected through development restrictions currently in place and planning decisions made by the city."
Copyright 2012 - The Eagle, Bryan, Texas
