North Mesa preserved for choppers
Nov. 16—Mesa is exercising its zoning and planning powers to support the local helicopter industry.
City Council moved Nov. 7 to solidify the status of an area north of Falcon Field as a High Helicopter Traffic Corridor in order to shape Mesa's future planning in the vicinity.
A consultant told Council how a designated helicopter corridor would affect land uses in the study area north of the Loop 202 between roughly Greenfield and Recker roads.
This area has long been used by aerospace company Boeing and MD Helicopters to support helicopter manufacturing in the Falcon Field district.
"Tracing back to Hughes Helicopters' opening of the facility 40 years ago, Boeing continues to conduct post-production / pre-delivery check out flights; training; and experimental flight tests in the region," Boeing said in a statement.
Mesa can't control airspace or create official flight paths, but the city has some say over what gets built on the ground below flight paths.
The report said a recognized helicopter corridor would be incompatible with residential development.
Falcon Field Director Corinne Nystrom told Council that helicopter traffic to and from the airport generally flies below 2,000 feet above the ground to.be separate from fixed-wing aircraft flight paths.
The report recommended that industrial use would be most compatible with helicopter overflights.
Development Services Director Nana Appiah said most of the land is already zoned primarily for industrial uses and designated for employment.
There are a few exceptions though: a corner of agricultural land in the west and vacant land zoned for single-family homes on half- or 1-acre lots. on the east side.
Staff said the city couldn't stop a landowner from putting homes residential zones, but could create incentives for owners to rezone land for industrial uses, such as waiving development fees.
The study further recommended the city require developers of land in the corridor to sign over airspace rights before approving building permits or plats in the area. Property buyers should also be notified of an airport in the vicinity, Appiah said.
Besides these specific strategies, City Manager Chris Brady said the study is "important for our major employer Boeing, and MD Helicopters, to know that the city is pretty much aware of this critical flight path that they have used since the 1980s," Brady said.
Councilman David Luna, who represents the Falcon Field area, said, "To me, it's been really important that we continue to protect Boeing.."
"We want to make sure that they continue to be successful, but they do need to test their helicopters, and we want to make sure that this designation is set in stone because we need to make sure that we protect what they do — not only for the city of Mesa but for the nation."
