ZONING MEETING Youngstown-Warren airport looks to tighten regulations

Mathews High School could be prohibited from expanding or rebuilding.
WARREN -- Proposed zoning regulations would keep clear the flight paths to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township, nearby landowners and a school official were told.
"It throws up a little bit of a red flag -- 'Hey, there's an airport here. Don't box 'em in," explained Alan Knapp, Trumbull County Planning Commission director, who led a public hearing Thursday on the proposed rules.
Some of the 10 people in attendance at the county administration building, however, questioned whether adding airport zoning to existing township and federal rules is really just another cumbersome layer of bureaucracy.
A second hearing will be at 7 p.m. May 26 at Vienna Township Hall. It may draw a larger hometown crowd; planners are considering changing the venue to the airport or to Mathews High School.
Schools Superintendent Lee Seiple said the high school, at 4429 Warren-Sharon Road, is within what would be the most restrictive zoning area, "clearly within the red zone."
Knapp said he wouldn't recommend adding on or building new at the same location, because of the population density of youths at school. Whether federal money through the Western Reserve Port Authority could be made available for relocation, should that be decided in the future, can be researched.
"These types of issues are in our [airport] master plan, but not specifically spelled out," said Steve Bowser, airport director.
Master plan
The five-member Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport Zoning Commission was appointed by county commissioners. It has been working on the rules for several months and has studied regulations at other airports.
Knapp said the zoning is based on Federal Aviation Administration rules. It would provide another vehicle for enforcing things that can get in the way at an airport, such as tall structures, densely populated living areas, and water that attracts waterfowl, which pose a risk to planes.
The additional level of airport zoning oversight would require a township's zoning official to determine if a permit applicant also has to apply for an airport zoning certificate. The applicant also would have to address any concerns the FAA may have. Once the airport permit is issued, the township may issue its own zoning permit.
"These are good, sound regulations to prevent encroachment around the airport and air base," he said.
The officials said any existing, non-conforming use can remain as-is if the regulations are adopted by county commissioners -- who also will have their own public hearing, to be announced later. The rules would apply to new growth.
Specific restrictions
The zoning would ban buildings taller than 400 feet in the approach areas at the ends of runways, and 150 feet closest to the airport. Also, population density restrictions are tightest in the approach areas for the safety of planes and also in the event of an accident on the ground, and because of noise.
The major concern related to density of development is mobile home parks located close to the airport. If the zoning is adopted, a mobile home park can still expand -- but at a much lesser density: one family unit for every 1.5 acres.
In attendance were Ernie and Larry Norton and their lawyer, Daniel Letson. The Norton family has owned Midway Mobile Homes for decades with 28 commercial acres about half-occupied. They have acreage for expansion, they said.
The airport zoning district would cover swaths of Vienna, Fowler, Bazetta and Howland townships. The zoning map also shows how the flight paths cross portions of Brookfield, Champion, Bristol, Mecca, Liberty and Hubbard townships. The farther from the airport, the fewer restrictions if any: Most anything permitted in township zoning is allowed.