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garyb

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garyb
If one was planning on developing an airpark, how big should the lot sizes be?
Taking into consideration, some homes will be smaller, some larger, some with an attached hanger and some with stand alone hangers and probably some other permutations, in general, what is a good lot size?
 
Good luck. Hopefully, Idaho is a lot easier on zoning than around here. It's pretty hard to get approval to put an airpark in.

I live on one in NC. Our lots range from a about 0.8 Acre. My property is just a hair over two acres. There are four houses that have integral hangars (mine included). We've got a dozen that have detached hangars. We have three hangars awaiting the construction of a (detached) house. There are two hangars sitting on an older lot that will never have a house attached (these were sort of grandfathered in when they developed the airpark). There are four houses that currently don't have hangars.

I've seen lots in airparks on 0.5 acre. Even our 0.85 acre lot is a bit tight. Since that lot has to have the road access and the hangar on the same side, it's built with the house up and behind the hangar.

I bought the lot on the corner between the runway and the taxiway which connects the houses that don't have runway frontage. This gives me the distinct advantage of having my hangar on the taxiway and my living room and deck looking out at the runway.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
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My $0.02 is 1 acre min with the ability to buy adjoining lots if people want 2+ acres.

I don't live in one at the moment but will in retirement.
 
One acre will allow 8 tract homes of about 2,000 sq. ft. Since we're talking about an airpark, I would allocate no less than 0.5 acres for the home, hangar and driveway to connect to the apron (or taxiways out of the hangar to the apron.). The driveway will need to be large enough to accommodate an aircraft (for washing the aircraft, or when he/she taxis up the their personal hangar, they have space off the taxiway to stop and unload or wait for the hangar door to open.)

If you plan for 0.75 acre minimum, you should be good to go. 1 acre lots are ideal, but that leaves plenty of land on each lot that owners may/may not develop.

Good luck with the airpark. Watching with interest, and I wish you luck. (I have my own land development and the city, utilities and neighbors have been no joy.)
 
The lot I have in TN is a 3 acre lot (it will be for sale soon) at http://www.bsfairpark.com
When I was looking to purchase an airpark lot back in 2012, I found lot sizes all over the map. What I recall though is that the closer to a city the lots tended to run around an half to full acre. While further out in the countryside, the majority of the lots were in the one to two acre size with the occasional larger lot (such as mine).

Tim
 
Well and septic rules may dictate a minimum lot size. Utility, road, and sidewalk requirements may play into it as well.
 
The major airpark lots here in the Tucson area is 8.5 acres, La Cholla Airpark, built in the 70's. A few others in the area are much smaller. If you wish to view current listings go to my site and click on Denise Newtons ad in any state. airportcourtesycars.com Glenn
 
Is your development going to be on sewer ?

Around here you need 10,000sf for the septic easement alone.
 
I am hoping to find an air park with Condo's some where warm for my retirement. I don't want a big house and big yard to take care of. We will most likely stay up here in Summer and go south in winter, using the plane to go back and forth.

That is my plan, but it is hard to find condos.
 
garyb said:
If one was planning on developing an airpark, how big should the lot sizes be?
Taking into consideration, some homes will be smaller, some larger, some with an attached hanger and some with stand alone hangers and probably some other permutations, in general, what is a good lot size?
Click to expand...

Taxiway and road access easements can make a big difference. A 1/2 acre lot with a 60' taxiway easement on one end and a 60' road easement on the other end leaves a pretty small area for hangar and house. 100'x200' is .46 acre. I would think 1 acre would be good size. Maybe have different sized lots for those that want more space for bigger homes and such?

I would suggest you put something in the covenants that deal with guys that like to park their aircraft, cars and whatever else in the taxiway, blocking access for others. This could be a problem especially if lot sizes are small and there isn't room to pour much of a concrete pad in front of the hangar or for those that are too cheap to do so.
 
Flavius Renatus said:
I am hoping to find an air park with Condo's some where warm for my retirement. I don't want a big house and big yard to take care of. We will most likely stay up here in Summer and go south in winter, using the plane to go back and forth.

That is my plan, but it is hard to find condos.
Click to expand...

There are a couple at Spruce Creek. They look like small houses attached to hangars with a glassed in breezway. As you are not alone in looking for this, those condos are priced above single family homes with hangars (+ monthly condo fee).
 
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Stewartb said:
Well and septic rules may dictate a minimum lot size. Utility, road, and sidewalk requirements may play into it as well.
Click to expand...
Zoning and lot setbacks as well. I've built my house as close to the runway and the taxiway as I can possibly make it. That puts me further from my neighbor and the street.

The well has to be 25' from the structure, but can be in the setback. And yes, you need here both enough room for your septic tank, a septic field, and a reserve field (and for a few lots that slope the wrong way, a pump chamber).
 
Checkout the more succesful airparks and see what they got. Call em up and ask "if you had it to do over, how would you lay it out?"
 
Our lots are in the 2-4 acre range, but the neighborhood was started sometime in the 1970s.
 
Unless you put in transient parking areas, having larger lot sizes allows residents more yard space for visiting pilots to park their planes while still being able to have wooded areas to act as a buffer between neighbors.
 
weilke said:
There are a couple at Spruce Creek. They look like small houses attached to hangars with a glassed in breezway. As you are not alone in looking for this, those condos are priced above single family homes with hangars (+ monthly condo fee).
Click to expand...

I saw these and you are right they are pricey. I would be happy with an Appartment inside the Hanger, I would prefer somewhere in southern Texas. :). Florida is just too crowded for me.
 
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