Projects

Airfield Overlay Zoning and Airfield Influence Area Comprehensive Plan Designations

In order to prepare for the proposed West Plains Annexation which includes Spokane International Airport and areas that are impacted by Fairchild Air Force Base the City has adopted Airfield Overlay Zoning. The Airfield Overlay zoning will also apply to the areas surrounding Felts Field. In addition to Airfield Overlay Zoning, Comprehensive Plan policy to guide land use within the City limits and the Urban Growth Area (UGA) in areas that are impacted by aviation facilities has also been adopted.

Aviation facilities are a functionally and economically vital part of our community. Washington State law requires that local jurisdictions like the City of Spokane develop regulations and comprehensive plan policy to discourage the siting of incompatible uses near airports. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Aviation Division has produced an Compatible Use Guidebook to help Cites and Counties to develop these tools. With the help of Spokane Airports, Fairchild Air Force Base and WSDOT Airfield Overlay Zoning and Comprehensive Plan Policy based on this guide have been developed (see below).

The Airfield Overlay Zoning and Comprehensive Plan Policy seek to discourage incompatible development in areas that are impacted by Aviation Facilities. The following uses are considered incompatible with Aviation Facilities and are limited in the Airfield Overlay Zones:

Residential Uses.
Uses that have the potential to concentrate a large number of people in to a small area.
Uses in which a majority of occupants are children, elderly or disabled or other people who have reduced ability respond to emergencies.
Facilities that the damage or destruction of which would cause significant adverse effects to public health and welfare beyond the immediate vicinity or the facility.
Uses that release discharge into the air such as smoke, steam or particulates that impair air visibility, uses that have aboveground storage of large quantities of hazardous (flammable, explosive, corrosive or toxic) materials that have the potential to exacerbate an aircraft accident, or uses that attract wildlife hazardous to aircraft.