Land use planning assistance and obstruction analysis are integral parts of the Oregon Department of Aviation´s (ODA) involvement at the local level throughout Oregon, as we work to protect aviation interests throughout the state.

 

Specific activities in this regard fall into two primary areas of activity for staff in our Aviation Programs Division:

 

The Department works to assist local jurisdictions to meet requirements for the protection of airports by developing and updating Airport Land Use Compatibility Guidelines. These guidelines help local jurisdictions establish zoning and land use regulations that serve to not only preserve airports, but proactively avoid future land use conflicts.

To request a full set of Land Use Compatibility Guidelines (a free resource from Department of Aviation), contact Stephanie Barth at 800-874-0102 or stephanie.e.barth@state.or.us.
 
If you have questions concerning any of the content in the Land Use Compatibility Guidelines, please contact Tom Franklin, at 800-874-0102 ext. 232, or by e-mail at thomas.w.franklin@state.or.us.

 

 

General aviation airports across America are threatened by increasing population density issues and escalating land values. Oregon´s Legislature has been forward-thinking in terms of providing land use laws that protect small airports across our state and, with that in mind, passed legislation in the mid-1990´s to ensure both the health and survival of our state´s airport system by protecting airport overlay zones. Those laws still stand, several years into the New Millennium.

 

Oregon Department of Aviation has undertaken efforts to facilitate application of these laws by helping communities implement local laws the protect airports through the ease of access to Model Aviation Land Use Zoning Ordinances. They can be used with by both city and county zoning authorities anywhere in Oregon. The model ordinances successfully assist local jurisdictions to protect airports from incompatible land uses and promote the protection of compatible aviation activities at area airports.

 

For assistance with questions relating to the Model Aviation Land Use Zoning Ordinances, contact Tom Franklin at 800-874-0102 ext 232 or thomas.w.franklin@state.or.us.

 

 

Another important activity undertaken by staff at Oregon Department of Aviation in their focus on protecting Oregon airports is the evaluation of and formal comments on proposed tall tower sitings and other potential hazards to air navigation. The Department reviews and conducts obstruction analysis of approximately 500 new stall structures annually, and monitors approximately the same number of existing structures around the state - representing a wide range of potential hazards. As cellular technology expands, this number is growing. Cell tower requests lead the list of requests for consideration and evaluation by the Department.

 

ODA works in concert with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and incorporates FAA regulations and tools, to conduct aeronautical evaluations and make determinations on potential hazards to air navigation. If these proposed structures are determined to be a hazard to air navigation, the potential hazard can often be mitigated by the incorporation of obstruction lighting and/or marking on these structures. In other cases ODA works with local jurisdictions and project proponents to find an acceptable solution, or alternative, to reduce the hazard created by the proposed structure.

 

To request evaluation and comment on an existing or proposed tall structure, contact Tom Franklin at 800-874-0102 ext. 232 or Thomas.W.Franklin@state.or.us.