Wealthy Developer Trying to Close Cloverdale Airport (O69) - Northern California

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Wealthy Developer Trying to Close Cloverdale Airport (O60) - Northern California

On December 8th 2015 (next Tuesday night) the City of Cloverdale is voting on whether to close the Cloverdale Airport. This is at the request of a developer who wants to build a resort on the adjacent property and claims he won't be able to sell the homes or rent the hotel if the site is right next to an airport.

Cloverdale Airport is located about 80 miles north of San Francisco. It is one of the few un-fenced airports in the area and still has the kind of charm that used to attract kids and want-to-be pilots.

The developer has spent a lot of money and is putting a lot of pressure on the city council to vote for closure claiming the resort will bring in "millions" of dollars to the city. I'm not sure anyone believes this but they can make whatever claims they want. Unless the City sees real resistance to the proposal I'm afraid it may get passed.

If there are any pilots in the San Francisco North Bay area who can make it to the meeting it might help save our airport. The meeting will be held at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Theater on Cloverdale Blvd., downtown.

If you can't make the meeting perhaps you could shoot an email to one or more of the council members expressing support for the airport? Here are there email addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected] (Carol Russel)
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Every little bit helps. It would be such a loss to lose our airport.

Thanks for reading,
Gary Welch
 
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ForeFlight brings up O69 as Petaluma CA. That seems like a big airport to close.
 
They always say it's going to bring in zillions of dollars, seldome hits 10%.
 
Then there's the small matter of FAA grant assurances.
 
Either the councilmen have something to gain, or they have delusions of grandeur that they'll elevate their little town to some ritzy resort by having a few overpriced condos slapped together.

Saw the same thing happen with Sky Park in Scotts Valley, CA in the early 80s. They closed the airport that predated 95% of the town's residents and put in cookie-cutter homes three feet from each other. Some councilmen made money, but 30-some years later it's still a town that heralds K-mart as its premiere shopping destination.
 
Most residents could care less about the airport,it's just a place for rich people to fly their noisy toys. Developers promises usually go away after the airport goes away. The councilmen seldom due due diligence before making a decision ,developers would never lie.
 
Sam D said:
Then there's the small matter of FAA grant assurances.
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Yep, O60 took a quarter of a million last year alone in Federal funds for taxiway improvements.
 
MichiPilot said:
How so?
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They were completely inept (actually they were absent) in helping the locals who were battling the closure of the Excelsior Springs Airport (in the KC area). The locals saved it, were begging for help from AOPA, didn't get much if any. It was discussed at length here, I'm too lazy to dig it up though. Of course, after the fact, AOPA trumpeted it as a win for themselves.

Also, when Blue Ash Airport in the Cincinnati area closed, the locals reported "Our AOPA ASN lead painted the first X on the runway with a smile on her face."

We don't need help like that.
 
Flew in there a week ago just for the hell of it. Not much going on. The locals can't complain too much about noise I would think. One fun feature of this airport is, you can fly in the middle of summer in your swim trunks, tie your plane down and go soak in the Russian River that runs right next to the airport property. In the heat of summer, your trunks will be pretty much dry by the time you walk back to the plane. It's something to do and an excuse to go flying.
 
If they do close it to build a resort then the area above the resort should become the new local training area for ground reference.
 
Find 3 good photos of the early days of Cloverdale airport along with a brochure detailing the history of the airport, print a brochure and hang the photos up in airport. Send copies to the local paper.
 
timwinters said:
They were completely inept (actually they were absent) in helping the locals who were battling the closure of the Excelsior Springs Airport (in the KC area). The locals saved it, were begging for help from AOPA, didn't get much if any. It was discussed at length here, I'm too lazy to dig it up though. Of course, after the fact, AOPA trumpeted it as a win for themselves.

Also, when Blue Ash Airport in the Cincinnati area closed, the locals reported "Our AOPA ASN lead painted the first X on the runway with a smile on her face."

We don't need help like that.
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That really sucks if true. I was under the impression that AOPA fought for Blue Ash.
 
As mentioned by me earlier, I had done my part. I actually got a few replies. I'll paste them below.

"Thank you for your input"

another reply states

"Your points are well-stated and, as I just wrote to another interested local resident, we share a concern for what is in Cloverdale's best interests now and in the future so please be assured that, although decisions on closure are made by the FAA, I am studying all aspects of this question, as well as every comment received, very carefully and with an open mind."
 
TK211X said:
"Your points are well-stated and, as I just wrote to another interested local resident, we share a concern for what is in Cloverdale's best interests now and in the future so please be assured that, although decisions on closure are made by the FAA, I am studying all aspects of this question, as well as every comment received, very carefully and with an open mind."
Click to expand...

That seems reasonable
 
I wonder if organizations like Angel Flight would provide flight stats (not any patient info) for the airport. If there were flights out of there, that's the kind of sound bite info that would counter balance "those little airplanes, flown by rich people, are dangerous" comments.
 
flyingron said:
Yep, O60 took a quarter of a million last year alone in Federal funds for taxiway improvements.
Click to expand...

If that's valid, then the city will have to pay it back before they can close the airport. I wonder if the developer is willing to cough up that much to cover the city's loss. As a tax payer, I would not want my city managers spending my money that way.
 
It seems really ridiculous to build a structure right next to an airport and then demand that the airport be closed. There's a ton of training over the Alexander valley already, and lots of low-flying traffic following the 101 in and out of STS. The only thing they'll gain by closing the airport is the end of the jump ops.
 
If they are willing to spend so much money to fight to close it, then just take that money and buy some land nearby and make a new airport.

That would probably be cheaper for all in the long run and the only real way to ensure they can close it.
 
An airport right next to a resort seems like a great way to bring in the rich jet crowd as well as piston chumps like me. It would be an asset for a resort, not a burden. Heck I might even go if there were an airport that close.
 
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ChemGuy said:
If they are willing to spend so much money to fight to close it, then just take that money and buy some land nearby and make a new airport.

That would probably be cheaper for all in the long run and the only real way to ensure they can close it.
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It's the San Francisco Bay area. Land is neither available nor cheap. That's why the developer wants to close the airport - that land is far more valuable as anything other than an airport. It's the same pressure in much of coastal CA.
 
petrolero said:
It's the San Francisco Bay area. Land is neither available nor cheap. That's why the developer wants to close the airport - that land is far more valuable as anything other than an airport. It's the same pressure in much of coastal CA.
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It's not flat either. Hills to the east and west. Flattest land north has an airport (Ukiah) and flattest land south has an airport (Healdsburg). But it's a great little airport in a neat location, and I'd hate to see it go for sentimental reasons.
 
Sam D said:
It's not flat either. Hills to the east and west. Flattest land north has an airport (Ukiah) and flattest land south has an airport (Healdsburg). But it's a great little airport in a neat location, and I'd hate to see it go for sentimental reasons.
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That's the Catch-22... the airport isn't used because there's nothing to use it for and the developer doesn't want to develop that reason. But really I suspect he just wants that land because he can get it now for far less money than after he puts in the resort.
 
Dav8or said:
Flew in there a week ago just for the hell of it. Not much going on. The locals can't complain too much about noise I would think. One fun feature of this airport is, you can fly in the middle of summer in your swim trunks, tie your plane down and go soak in the Russian River that runs right next to the airport property. In the heat of summer, your trunks will be pretty much dry by the time you walk back to the plane. It's something to do and an excuse to go flying.
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Which is why they want it...river front property...big $
 
petrolero said:
It's the San Francisco Bay area. Land is neither available nor cheap. That's why the developer wants to close the airport - that land is far more valuable as anything other than an airport. It's the same pressure in much of coastal CA.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's not really SF Bay Area proper. There's a lot of open space up there. For example, the nearest Taco Bell to Cloverdale is 35 miles away.
 
From Post #1: "On December 8th 2015 (next Tuesday night) the City of Cloverdale is voting on whether to close the Cloverdale Airport."
 
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