Property owners urge Lake County to reopen airport CUP as Embry Riddle expansion plans proceed

Rich Graham, a landowner who holds one of three property rights tied to the runway south of Deep Woods Ranch Airport, asked the Lake County Board of County Commissioners to halt the development plans and require a formal public hearing. He said submitted plans show a paved 2,007-foot runway with full-length taxiways, aprons and extensive grading that would, in his view, transform the private grass airstrip into a high-intensity aviation training facility and could affect recorded easements and access for neighboring owners.

"What was an occasional use private rural runway is now being transformed into a high intensity aviation training facility for the university, that does not even reside within our county," Graham told the board, adding that certified surveys and construction plans omit utility and access easements recorded on adjacent deeds.

Planning staff told commissioners that under Lake County land development regulations, site-plan approval is normally an administrative action and would not trigger a public hearing; however, staff said a property owner may apply to amend or reopen an existing CUP, which would prompt a hearing. Commissioner Sabatini asked staff to prepare an agenda item to consider a county-initiated rezoning/CUP reopening and to waive fees so affected owners need not carry the cost of the application. The board directed staff to add the item to the next week's agenda and to notify interested parties for a public hearing.

The discussion leaves unresolved whether the county will legally challenge any change or rely on reopening the CUP process; commissioners also signaled interest in inviting Embry Riddle or other affected agencies to present at a future meeting. The board did not adopt a final substantive decision at this session, instead moving to put the issue on the agenda so the facts and legal documents can be reviewed at a public hearing.