Oregon Department of Aviation proposes three refined options for Aurora Airport adjustments

As the city of Wilsonville and other parties remain concerned over a possible expansion of the Aurora State Airport, three refined Oregon Department of Aviation proposals for airport adjustments include an extension of the runway and potential property acquisition.

The new proposed options, referred to as “alternatives” and presented at an advisory committee meeting on Tuesday, July 30, were designed based on community and advisory committee input to preliminary alternatives proposed by the aviation department in June.

The proposed alternatives are meant to address the airport’s needs and bring it into compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. In the July advisory committee meeting, David Miller, lead airport planner with Century West Engineering, said if the airport does not take measurable steps to becoming compliant with FAA standards, it risks losing funding from the administration.

The current airport master planning process follows a years-long court battle by the city of Wilsonville and other groups over the validity of the previous master plan completed in 2012.

The refined alternatives

All of the refined alternatives propose extending the runway 497 feet to the north, bringing the total length of the runway to 5,500 feet. Some preliminary alternatives suggested extending the airport to the south, but this option was eliminated because of impacts to land zoned for Exclusive Farm Use, said Tony Beach, state airports manager with the aviation department.

There are technically two alternatives proposed, with the first having a sub-alternative to create a total of three options. Impacts to properties outside of the airport vary by alternative, with the first alternative more greatly impacting non-aeronautical property. Some hangar space around the airport is privately owned, and may need to be acquired based on the aviation department’s selected option.

A key assumption in the alternatives is the need to maintain a 200-foot right of way around Hubbard Highway, Miller said in the presentation. The highway runs along the west side of the airport, and Miller said the right of way will be preserved in the planning documents because the aviation department does not know future plans for the highway — for instance, if it will be expanded to accommodate traffic. He said the aviation department is in contact with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Because of the right of way, Miller said properties adjacent to the highway will be affected by airport alternatives that propose moving the highway.

Alternative 1A involves shifting Hubbard Highway 80 feet west, which would require approximately 43 acres of property acquisition, including 12 residential properties and four commercial properties west of the highway.

About 237,000 square feet of hangar space along the south portion of the airport would be removed to allow for a new taxi lane and service road, and 195,000 square feet of new hangar space would be added an appropriate distance from the roads. The north portion of the airport would be reconfigured to allow for 149,000 square feet of new hangar space, but no parking or large aircraft or helicopters.

About 114 acres of private aeronautical property next to the airport is identified for future acquisition, if the property is for sale. Miller said this is to preserve long-term aeronautical use.

Alternative 1B, the sub-alternative of the first option, would lessen the impacts to aeronautical facilities at the cost of greater impacts to non-aeronautical activities. It would shift both the highway and the runway to the west, requiring less acquisition of the aircraft facilities but more acquisition of property on the west side of Hubbard Highway. The highway would be shifted 175 feet west, and the runway 80 feet west to accommodate the taxiway and service road.

The sub-alternative would require 39 acres of property acquisition, which Miller explained is due to less need for acquisition east of the runway. Around 20 residential properties and four commercial properties would be acquired west of the highway.

The north portion of the airport would be redesigned to accommodate the new taxi lane and service road, creating 178,000 square feet of new hangar space. Two helicopter parking positions would be available but there would be no large aircraft parking.

Around 133 acres of private aeronautical property is identified for future acquisition, if it is for sale.

The second and final alternative most heavily impacts aircraft facilities east of the runway, but has the least impact on non-aeronautical property. Instead of moving Hubbard Highway, the runway would be shifted 85 feet east.

No properties west of the highway would be acquired, but 37 acres of property east of the runway would be acquired to accommodate the taxiway and service road. Approximately 242,000 square feet of existing hangar space would be removed in the south portion of the airport, and 142,000 feet of new hangar space would be constructed. In a redesigned north portion of the airport, 35,000 square feet of existing hangar space would be removed and 143,000 square feet of new hangar space would be added.

One large aircraft parking position would be available, and no helicopter parking.

About 105 acres of private aeronautical property is identified for future acquisition, if it is for sale.

In the second alternative the air traffic control tower would need to be relocated, and Miller said further study would be required to determine a new location.

Petition opposing airport expansion

Friends of French Prairie, a land use conservation group consisting of residents and farmers in French Prairie, announced in a press release on Thursday, Aug. 1 that it will advance a petition opposing an expansion to the airport.

“Since neither federal nor state aviation agencies appear to take seriously the concerns of local-area residents, businesses and cities, Friends of French Prairie is advancing a people’s petition to demonstrate the massive local opposition to expansion of the Aurora State Airport that exists,” Friends of French Prairie president Ben Williams said in the release.

The petition is addressed to elected officials at the federal and state level representing the airport area, including Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkely, as well as Congresswoman Andrea Salinas and Gov. Tina Kotek, according to the release.

Some have concerns that community voices have not been heard enough in the master planning process, and Williams said in an interview that the petition was made to demonstrate community opinion on the airport master plan.

The press release lists many concerns about the airport master plan in areas such as health, impacts to the environment and farms, noise and others.

Advisory committee members voice concerns at meeting

The Planning Advisory Committee, or PAC, consists of various airport stakeholders, including airport users and neighbors, local municipalities, state agencies and others.

At the July 30 meeting, Patrick Donaldson, representing the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce, said the “temporary and permanent displacement” that may occur with the airport alternatives should be measured and factored into the decision on the preferred alternative. In response, Miller said a cost estimate will be done after a preferred alternative is selected by the aviation department and the secondary economic impact of displacement is not typically considered in the master plan process.

“The reality is that there are no options that are easy or cheap,” Miller said, adding that he believes the impact to private residences along the highway will be significant to the communities. “So I think ODAV is weighing all of those factors while still recognizing that maintaining the status quo is not an option”

Dave Mauk, representing Charbonneau Country Club, discussed concerns about using taxpayer dollars to fund construction. He added that the constraints placed on Aurora Airport from Hubbard Highway, private residences and proximity to I-5 make it unsuitable for any expansion.

Miller later acknowledged that the costs of implementing any alternative would be significant and require a “regional approach” from the FAA perspective. He said that while FAA funding is not guaranteed or always available when needed, “the vast majority of the financial costs associated with implementing this would be funded through FAA dollars.”

With property acquisition, Mauk also asked “where it stops” in terms of airport growth and the number of properties acquired — a concern later echoed by Williams and Wilsonville City Councilor Joann Linville, who represents the city of Wilsonville on the PAC.

“At what point does a constrained airport become so constrained that it cannot go any larger?” Linville said.

Linville noted that at a public open house hosted by the aviation department for the community in June, representatives ran out of physical copies of sheets for public comment. She consequently believed there had not been satisfactory public input for the master plan, adding that she was “disappointed” that a longer list of alternatives was narrowed down by the department prior to the PAC meetings without notice to advisory committee members.

At the end of the PAC member comment period, Miller reiterated that the primary goal of the master plan is to bring the airport up to FAA standards.

“The purpose of the master planning process for the FAA is to identify projects that are justified and that they can ultimately fund. I think that everything we are talking about here tonight, regardless of the alternative, the nexus is that it all comes back to meeting FAA standards,” Miller said.

Public comments from PAC and the community on the refined alternatives are accepted through Tuesday, Aug. 20. Comments can be made on the master plan website. The next PAC meeting will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17.