Will an airport take off in Maricopa?

Could an airport in Maricopa take flight by the next decade? If some people have their way, that dream will become a reality.

At a Wednesday afternoon meeting at City Hall representatives of Coffman Associates informed those in attendance that a recently completed draft of an airport feasibility study shows there is potential for an airport. The City and ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) had commissioned the study by Coffman Associates to see the potential for a general aviation airport within the City of Maricopa.

The Phase I portion of the study has been completed, according to Jim Harris of Coffman Associates.

“The second phase will be a site analysis,” Harris said. “The City, ADOT and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) would all like to know what the best site is. We will look at the best sites to place an airport. Anything within the general planning area is open for discussion.”

Ed Beauvais, founder of the former America West Airlines and a consultant with The Aviation Group retained by the City of Maricopa to provide expertise and facilitate the development of a municipal airport, said an airport can be justified for Maricopa. Beauvais is receiving $12,500 a month plus expenses from the City for his consulting services.

“Phase I of this study gives us the information that we need now,” Beauvais said. “We need to get this subject on the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council meeting agendas so we can move forward with a site selection.” If City Council moves ahead with the idea and a site is chosen, the next move would be to have an airport master plan and environmental assessment.

Interim City Manager Roger Kolman said the likeliest early date this discussion could come before Council would be at the Sept. 18 meeting.

The airport feasibility study claims that an airport serving the City of Maricopa could yield an economic impact in excess of $20 million, going up to $50 million when it reaches maturity. “Having an airport is a very vital building block to having quality jobs here,” City of Maricopa Senior Economic Development Consultant Ioanna Morfessis said.

Mayor Kelly Anderson said following the meeting that it was exciting to see the process come to this point.

“I believe that if you build it, they will come,” Anderson said. “We envision jobs from this if we do it right.” Anderson wondered what the building costs would be down the road if the City delays construction, noting possible land sites could even be snatched by then.

So just how much would it cost to build an airport in Maricopa?

Steve Benson of Coffman Associates indicated the initial construction price tag for a new airport in Maricopa is around $44 million, with $43 million of that being covered by state and federal funding. The local share would amount to about $1,141,400.00. “You can’t expect it ( an airport) to pay for itself from day one,” Benson said. Benson added it is likely it would be three years or more before an airport could be in place in Maricopa.

According to the airport market analysis, there are currently 51 aircraft registered to Maricopa addresses.

Overall, there are 834 aircraft registrations in the areas encompassing Buckeye, Casa Grande, Chandler, Eloy, Gilbert, Laveen, Maricopa, Phoenix and Stanfield.

The majority of airports currently situated within a 17-mile radius of Maricopa are generally restricted from public use. They include farm and ranch airstrips, along with other airfields primarily used in support of agricultural operations.

If an airport is built locally, initial reports say the majority of the planes using the facility would be single engine aircraft, with a handful of multi-engine and turbo prop planes.

The belief is that, for the most part, the facility could get by with a single runway orientation.

Photo by Dave Thomas