Chapter 18.50
AIRPORTS
Sections:
18.50.030 Airport land use zone I-A and overlay districts established generally.
18.50.040 Permitted uses in lands zoned I-A.
18.50.050 Prohibited uses in land zoned I-A.
18.50.060 Approach overlay district.
18.50.070 Transitional overlay district.
18.50.080 Turning overlay district.
18.50.090 Height limitations – Generally.
18.50.110 Structure and use permits.
18.50.120 Conflicting regulations.
18.50.010 Intent.
The intent of the city is to protect the health, lives, and property of the public, including the users of the airport facilities. It is also the desire of the city to protect public investments, provide for operation of the municipal airport, and to prevent conflicting uses from occurring. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.020 Definitions.
A. “Airport” means Okanogan Airport.
B. “Airport elevation” means 1,043 feet above mean sea level, the highest point of the airport’s usable landing area. This elevation is used as the primary datum for measuring allowable height limitations for obstructions.
C. “Airport hazard” means any structure, tree, mobile object or large animal, or congregations of birds moving through or located at the airport or its vicinity, or use of land that obstructs the air space required for the flight of aircraft in landing or taking off, or is otherwise hazardous to such landing or taking off of aircraft.
D. “Airport commission” means a body consisting of seven members, including five members appointed by the mayor, the airport manager, and the chair of the city council airport committee.
E. “Airport zoning commission” means the city of Okanogan zoning commission as described in RCW 14.12.070(2).
F. “Airport manager” means that person empowered by the city to oversee the operations of the airport and to assure that such use is conducted in a manner that will protect public safety and promote the public interests.
G. “Approach overlay district” means an area lying at the ends of the runway along the extended runway centerline and below the normal glide path of an aircraft approaching the runway to land, or below the normal climb path of an aircraft taking off.
H. “Extended centerline” means an imaginary projection of the runway centerline drawn beyond the approach or departure end of the runway.
I. “Nonconforming use” means any pre-existing structure, tree or use of land which is inconsistent with this chapter.
J. “Obstruction” means any structure, tree or other object, including a mobile object, which exceeds a limiting height set forth in OMC 18.50.090.
K. “Person” means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint stock association or governmental entity; including a trustee, a receiver and assignee, or a similar representative of any of them.
L. “Residential airpark” means a planned unit development designed to provide residents close and ready access to hangared or parked aircraft owned or leased by residents.
M. “Runway” means a defined area on an airport designed and maintained for landing and takeoff of fixed wing aircraft along its length.
N. “Runway threshold” means the designated beginning of the runway that is available and suitable for landing or taking off.
O. “RV park” means a facility designed, constructed, and managed for overnight use by transient recreational vehicles.
P. “Structure” means any object constructed or installed by humans, including but without limitation to buildings, towers, smokestacks, earth formations and overhead transmission lines.
Q. “Taxiway” means areas designated for the moving of aircraft on the ground, but not for landing or taking off of aircraft.
R. “Transitional overlay district” means an area on each side of the centerline of the runway and lying below the normal approach path of aircraft maneuvering for landing or during take off as described in OMC 18.50.070.
S. “Tree” means any object of natural growth whether planted by humans or of natural origin.
T. “Turning overlay district” means an imaginary surface that extends upward and outward from the ends of the runway as described in OMC 18.50.080. Its purpose is to prevent obstructions from penetrating into airspace used by aircraft maneuvering to take off or land. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.030 Airport land use zone I-A and overlay districts established generally.
In order to carry out the provisions of this chapter the airport land use zone I-A and certain overlay districts are created and established. The overlay districts add height limitation restrictions to zoning that lies beneath them. This section establishes the airport overlay districts as set forth below. Where these districts overlap each other or an underlying land use zone, the most restrictive height limitation requirements imposed by any overlay district or land use zoning shall govern. Overlay districts and the airport land use zone I-A are shown on the city of Okanogan municipal airport zoning and overlay district map dated _____ which is on file in the clerk’s office. The airport land use zone I-A is shown on the city of Okanogan land use zoning map dated _____ which is on file in the clerk’s office. The various overlay districts are established and defined as follows in OMC 18.50.060 through 18.50.080. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.040 Permitted uses in lands zoned
I-A.
Permitted uses shall be businesses incidental to, and necessary or convenient for, airport operations. Permitted uses include:
A. Uses by landing or departing aircraft;
B. Sale, delivery and storage of aviation fuel and oil;
C. Sale, storage, maintenance, manufacture, assembly and repair of aircraft, aviation equipment and component parts;
D. Offices, restaurants and other commercial enterprises that depend directly or indirectly upon aviation;
E. RV parks and camping sites with a maximum capacity of 15 individual sites or spaces; provided, however, that any such parks and camping sites shall be situated at least 450 feet away from the runway centerline (except they may not be located beneath the approach overlay district), and at least 250 feet from the centerline of taxiways;
F. Other uses reviewed and determined by the city council upon recommendation of the airport commission to be both beneficial and desirable uses of the airport that are not prohibited or restricted. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.050 Prohibited uses in land zoned
I-A.
The following uses shall be prohibited within land use zone I-A:
A. Use that will create electrical interference with navigational signals or radio communications between the airport and aircraft;
B. Use that would make it difficult for pilots to distinguish airport lights, or create glare, or create dust, or other conditions that obscure vision;
C. Use that includes residential dwellings; provided, however, that a mobile home single- family dwelling is permitted when exclusively for use by security personnel or the airport manager; and further provided, that single-family dwellings (not mobile homes) located at least 450 feet to the west of the runway centerline (but not under the approach overlay district) may be conditionally permitted when they are designed and built to be part of a residential airpark;
D. Use that would regularly and frequently encourage the congregation of large numbers of people, such as would be the case with schools (except that flight schools or related activities are permitted), churches, commercial recreation facilities, hospitals, amusement parks, and other uses where large numbers of people regularly assemble;
E. Use that would cause a concentration of birds such that a hazard is created for aircraft landing or taking off;
F. Overhead transmission lines. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.060 Approach overlay district.
A noninstrument approach surface is established at each end of all noninstrument runways for aircraft landing and take off. The inner width of the approach surface is 250 feet at its line of origination at the runway threshold, and it expands uniformly to a width of 1,250 feet at a horizontal distance of 5,280 feet from the runway threshold. This approach surface is at ground level for a distance of 200 feet from the runway threshold, and thereafter it extends upward at a slope of 20 to one. The elevation of the inner width of the approach surface is the same as the elevation of the primary datum. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.070 Transitional overlay district.
The transitional surfaces extend outward and upward for a horizontal distance of 5,280 at right angles to the runway centerline, and extend upward at a slope of seven to one from a line located 100 feet from, and parallel to, the runway centerline, except that where the transition surface would come within 150 feet of the ground in high terrain located east or west of the runway, the minimum height of the transition surface shall be 150 feet above the ground. The transition overlay district is bounded on either side by a turning overlay district. The elevation of the line 100 feet from the runway centerline is the same as the elevation of the primary datum. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.080 Turning overlay district.
The turning surfaces extend outward and upward from the runway at a point located in the center of the threshold. Each turning overlay district is bounded by the surfaces of the approach overlay district and the transitional overlay district, and an arc with radius of 5,280 feet that is subtended from a point located at the center of the runway threshold. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.090 Height limitations – Generally.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no structure or tree shall be erected, altered, allowed to grow or be maintained so as to penetrate into any overlay district created in this chapter as described in OMC 18.50.060 through 18.50.080. Uses of the underlying lands that create dust, glare, or concentrations of birds that affect the use of the overlay district shall be considered violations of the height limitations set forth herein. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.100 Nonconforming uses.
A. The regulations prescribed in this chapter shall not be construed to require the removal, lowering, or other change or alteration of any structure or tree not conforming to the regulations as of August 31, 1994, or otherwise interfere with the continuance of any nonconforming use.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, the owner of any nonconforming structure or tree may be required to install, operate, and maintain thereon such markers and lights as are deemed necessary by the airport manager to indicate to the operators of aircraft in the vicinity of the airport the presence of airport hazards or obstructions. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.110 Structure and use permits.
A. Before any nonconforming structure or tree may be replaced, substantially altered, repaired, rebuilt, allowed to grow taller or replanted, a permit shall be secured from the applicable building department with the concurrence of the airport commission.
B. No permit shall be granted that would allow the establishment or creation of an airport hazard, or permit a nonconforming use to be made higher or become a greater hazard to navigation than it was on January 1, 1993, or when a permit is granted, whichever is later.
C. Requests for height variances in any airport overlay district shall be processed in the same manner as any other request for administrative variance to land use zoning regulations, with the addition of the following steps:
1. The application for variance shall be referred to the airport commission for written review and comment prior to action by any other administrative body. The airport commission shall complete its review within 15 days of receiving the application. The airport commission’s failure to provide written comments within that period shall be interpreted as approval of the requested variance.
2. Any permit or variance issued for any structure or use in any airport height limitation overlay district may be conditioned on the installation, operation and maintenance of markers and lights to indicate the presence of an airport hazard. Required markers and lights shall be purchased, installed and maintained at the expense of the owner of the obstruction. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)
18.50.120 Conflicting regulations.
Where there exists a conflict between any of the regulations or limitations prescribed in this chapter and any other regulations applicable to the same areas, whether the conflict is with respect to the height of structures or trees, the use of land or any other matter, the more stringent limitations or requirements shall prevail. (Ord. 790 § 1, 1994)