Orange County NC Website
295 <br /> had admitted that the landowner might be restricted but that did not mean he <br /> ►' would suffer a severe burden financially. <br /> f: <br /> Ms. Crawford: Asked when the last privately owned airport was built in the <br /> k <br /> State and locations. <br /> Mr. Matthews: Replied they were being built on an almost daily basis and <br /> cited Wayne County and Harnett. County as two locations. He elaborated that any- <br /> one wishing to build a private airport must receive a permit from the Division <br /> F of Highways at DOT, whose engineers would examine the site to be sure all' approaches <br /> clear the surrounding roads. He said that his department normally receives <br /> copies of such permits and his department tries to inspect each site also. <br /> He said normally 50-75 such requests per year were processed and that about <br /> 1/3 such builders actual-ly.submitted the permit request. <br /> Ms. Crawford: Asked of those he did see what was the average size. <br /> Mr. Matthews: Said those were mostly turf.runways, 2000' long with no <br /> lights, no fuel tanks, designed for one or two airplanes and only as a con- <br /> venience to the aircraft owner. <br /> Ms. Crawford: Asked Mr. Matthews if his division had any recommendations <br /> on how counties should "draft zoning ordinances or advice to handle private <br /> airports." <br /> Mr. Matthews: Replied that his division did not have any policy or recom- <br /> mendations such .as Ms. Crawford asked about. He•added that there were few counties <br /> with county-wide zoning and usually the property owner was free to do as he <br /> wished regarding his land. He cited an example from Onslow County of a man who <br /> had had a power hang-glider airport opened next to his home. He said airports <br /> did not usually have this problem. Elaborating he said that counties more highly <br /> urbanized, examples given were Mecklenburg and Guilford and Buncombe,' had "land <br /> Use classifications"where airports were allowed but he was not aware of any counties <br /> which had "design criteria." <br /> Ms. Crawford: Continued by asking if he knew of any private airports com- <br /> parable to the size proposed by Midway? <br /> Mr. Matthews: "No." <br /> Mr. Kizer: Asked if Mr. Matthews thought that the market for that "number <br /> of planes" existed in Orange County for the next five to ten years. <br /> Q <br /> Mr. Matthews: "No." <br />