Planning Commission recommends repeal of Airpark overlay after hours of mixed public comment on airport zone
March 19, 2026 | Fairfield, Utah County, Utah
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Fairfield’s Planning Commission heard more than an hour of public comment March 19 on proposed changes to airport-related zoning before voting to recommend repealing the town’s Airpark overlay zone and deferring a final vote on the new Airport Mixed Use Zone (AMUZ).
Legal counsel and staff presented the AMUZ as a revision intended to balance property rights and existing uses while replacing the existing Airpark chapter of the town code. Counsel said the draft retains the base language but includes redlines and additions based on recent submissions; staff emphasized the commission’s role at the hearing is to receive public input and that changes were likely before any council adoption.
Speakers were sharply divided. Residents near the airpark described increased flights, low overflights, noise, and impacts on historic trees and eagle nesting habitat; some said the airport had operated without required local hearings and threatened legal action. Representatives of the Airpark and aviation advocates argued the facility is a public-use airport (they cited a federal public-use designation in 2018 and state-funded runway work) that provides firefighting, emergency and economic benefits and urged restraint in overly restrictive rules.
Representatives for nearby landowners — including attorneys for Intermountain Regional Landfill and Northpointe Solid Waste and counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — urged the commission to protect preexisting uses. Landfill counsel said certain conditional-use conditions should be mandatory, and church counsel urged repeal of the overlay as drafted and recommended requiring navigational easements when appropriate rather than a broad overlay.
On Item 3 (the overlay), after discussion and legal clarification commissioners moved to recommend repeal of the existing overlay and not adopt an immediate replacement; the motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded as unanimous. For Item 2 (AMUZ), commissioners debated whether to forward the draft to the town council with a conditional positive recommendation (subject to staff/legal review) or to meet again. That motion became unclear in discussion and ultimately did not pass; commissioners scheduled a follow-up meeting for Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. for additional review and to incorporate written comments staff received.
The planning commission also agreed to accept the public record of recent redlines and written submissions and asked staff and counsel to review supplemental materials (including operation counts, wildlife/eagle concerns, and the array of redlined drafts) before the next meeting. The commission’s recommendation to repeal the overlay will go to the town council for its consideration.
Legal counsel and staff presented the AMUZ as a revision intended to balance property rights and existing uses while replacing the existing Airpark chapter of the town code. Counsel said the draft retains the base language but includes redlines and additions based on recent submissions; staff emphasized the commission’s role at the hearing is to receive public input and that changes were likely before any council adoption.
Speakers were sharply divided. Residents near the airpark described increased flights, low overflights, noise, and impacts on historic trees and eagle nesting habitat; some said the airport had operated without required local hearings and threatened legal action. Representatives of the Airpark and aviation advocates argued the facility is a public-use airport (they cited a federal public-use designation in 2018 and state-funded runway work) that provides firefighting, emergency and economic benefits and urged restraint in overly restrictive rules.
Representatives for nearby landowners — including attorneys for Intermountain Regional Landfill and Northpointe Solid Waste and counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — urged the commission to protect preexisting uses. Landfill counsel said certain conditional-use conditions should be mandatory, and church counsel urged repeal of the overlay as drafted and recommended requiring navigational easements when appropriate rather than a broad overlay.
On Item 3 (the overlay), after discussion and legal clarification commissioners moved to recommend repeal of the existing overlay and not adopt an immediate replacement; the motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded as unanimous. For Item 2 (AMUZ), commissioners debated whether to forward the draft to the town council with a conditional positive recommendation (subject to staff/legal review) or to meet again. That motion became unclear in discussion and ultimately did not pass; commissioners scheduled a follow-up meeting for Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. for additional review and to incorporate written comments staff received.
The planning commission also agreed to accept the public record of recent redlines and written submissions and asked staff and counsel to review supplemental materials (including operation counts, wildlife/eagle concerns, and the array of redlined drafts) before the next meeting. The commission’s recommendation to repeal the overlay will go to the town council for its consideration.
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