Residents clash over future use of Boulder airport

?Aerial photo of BDU from City of BoulderResidents are at odds over the use of the Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU), with one petition calling on the closure of the 96-year-old public airport and a counter-petition trying to save BDU. Petition for closure The Boulder Airport Petition wants to close the airport to build a "new, visionary neighborhood designed with sustainability and affordability in mind." BDU sits on 179 acres of land owned by the city of Boulder, Colorado, serving about 200 people who own or fly in private planes, many of whom are not residents of the City of Boulder, according to the petition website. The website calls on residents to sign the petition and tell the City Council they, "do not need a 179-acre hobbyist airport on public land for private planes bringing noise and pollution to Boulder." The petition said the city is prohibited from enforcing any "commonsense" noise regulations by the FAA, leaving Boulder with only voluntary noise reduction measures which the group finds ineffective. The petition also notes that many small aircraft fly in and out of BDU and many still use leaded aviation fuel. It is also included in the petition that the FAA will not allow the city to ban or regulate unleaded fuel at BDU and claims the FAA has no plan or timetable for phasing out leaded fuel. "The small aircraft that fly in and out of BDU shockingly still use leaded aviation fuel which pollutes our environment, and exposure to lead can lead to lower IQ and lifelong learning, behavioral, reproductive, heart, and other health problems especially for children." The petition continues to state that ten other airports within 50 driving miles offer similar or duplicate opportunities, the runways are not long or safe enough for modern fire-fighting planes and the only significant emergency use of BDU is helicopter use. The closure petition continues to say that the new prospective neighborhood would retain a helicopter staging area for emergency use, ensure affordable housing and that the value of the economic activity of a 179-acre mixed-use neighborhood would outweigh the economic value of a small hobbyist airport. The goal of the petition is to decommission the airport as soon as possible. It calls on the City Manager and Council to stop accepting FAA grant money; end existing grant commitments to the FAA; immediately implement a plan for BDU to become self-financing through rental, landing or hangar fees to maintain the airport until its closure; use incentives to encourage the sale and use of unleaded fuel and ban leaded fuel as soon as possible; require tenants to use quiet equipment when possible; retain FAA-compliant runways and close those that are non-compliant; implement new measures to identify planes and pilots behaving poorly; work with airport tenants to help with the transition to another airport; and commit to no growth at BDU or any of its facilities unless approved by a vote of Boulder residents and paid for with FAA grants.Boulder Airport Petition's AI rendering of the proposed mix-use neighborhood The mixed-use neighborhood would contain both residential and commercial uses, mixed-income housing, restaurants and retail shops, recreational amenities including parks and gardens, new roads and transit facilities, new utility infrastructure, innovations in clean energy use and other climate resilience strategies, and a dedicated helicopter staging area for emergency use only. The petition group said it is aligned with the city's commitment to equity, environmental leadership and responsible governance, as well as help with the affordable housing crisis causing families to leave the area. "We recognize that disentangling from FAA control will not be fast or easy, but it is the right thing to do in this era of crises of economic inequality and climate change," the petition concludes. "I add my name to those urging commitment and resolve from City elected leaders and staff to make this happen." The petition is 60 percent of the way to the 1,000 signature goal. Comments talk about the increase in noise in recent years, specifically citing planes practicing touch-and-go landings. Comments are mostly from city residents, with a few from local outsiders. The residents frequently cite environmental and health concerns over the use of leaded gas and carbon emissions. "Decommissioning would inconvenience a few but that would be far outweighed by the benefit to the community of redeveloping that land in a thoughtful way," one city resident said. Counter-petition While a vocal group of residents are pushing to close the airport, some residents have joined the opposition, creating a counter-petition to keep BDU open. The Save Our Boulder Airport petition is organized by the Boulder Airport Association, along with other airport user groups and individual community members. The opposition says the website has served the community and saved thousands of lives in the fight against wildfire, floods and everyday emergencies. The airport is self-funded and does not cost Boulder taxpayers anything. The counter-petition called the closure attempt misguided and a mistake. "This would be a terrible mistake," the counter-petition notes. "Closure would put our community at risk, cost at least a hundred million dollars, require a drawn-out legal battle with the FAA, and has a very low chance of success. No new home could be built for at least 20 years. Most likely, none would ever be ‘affordable.'" The airport offers the community lifesaving resources, like aerial firefighters. The Save Boulder Airport Petition website said that during the 2013 flood, over 1,200 neighbors were saved when the second largest rescue airlift operation in U.S. history, after Hurricane Katrina, was performed by a fleet of army helicopters in the Boulder area. The Civil Air Patrol will provide search and rescue operations across the mountainous area and the police, sheriff, fire and National Guard teams perform search and rescue training at the airport regularly. The Save Our Boulder Airport site said BDU is regularly used by over 1,000 community members, including students, engineers, firefighters and scientists researching climate change and environmental sustainability. Airport-based organizations offer community scholarships, STEM educational opportunities and hands-on experience in building and aircraft restoration. Over 500 local children have been given free flights as part of the EAA Young Eagles initiative. Thousands of pilots have trained at BDU and gone on to have successful careers. BDU is also used by glider pilots, flying silently across the Colorado sky, including a 160-member club. The SOBA website said jets and commercial aircraft are extremely rare and none are based at the airport and the runway is too short to accommodate larger business jets and cannot be extended.An electric glider at BDU The airport is self-funding and does not receive support from the city or taxpayers. It contributes nearly $100 million in annual revenue to the local economy and provides 300 jobs. SOBA said closing the airport would cost at least $100 million or more, and require the unlikely consent of the FAA. The initial petition cites noise and environmental concerns, but the counter-petition said BDU is ahead of the green game. SOBA said Boulder pilots follow one of the most restrictive noise abatement programs in the country and continue to invest in quieter planes. Boulder was also the first airport in the state with charging stations for electric aircraft. SOBA said many pilots in the area have already prepared their planes for unleaded fuel and already asking for it. BDU is leading in environmental changes, with a fully electric self-launching glider, the first of its kind in North America, already operating at BDU. Additionally, SOBA said the earliest the FAA would allow BDU to close in 2041, 11 years after the anticipated goal to eliminate lead from avgas by 2030. With many Boulder pilots ready and willing to use unleaded alternatives, SOBA said continued uncertainty would prolong efforts to bring unleaded fuel to BDU. Aviation community lends support The AOPA has voiced its support in favor of BDU remaining operational. The AOPA said BDU is responsible for nearly 300 jobs, performs 50,000 annual operations and is a vital emergency response staging area during natural disasters. "Closing the airport would not just put [our] community at risk, it would come at a massive cost because the City would have to compensate the FAA for the land that the City of Boulder purchased with FAA funds," BAA President Carl Lawrence told the AOPA. " The costs for the City and its taxpayers are likely to far exceed [one] hundred million dollars. That's before even one new home could be built on the site." The AOPA said the city council was initially expected to have an answer in early 2024 but the decision was delayed to the summer.The FAA submitted a letter to Mayor Aaron Brockett on April 27, 2023 to remind the city of its contractual obligations to operate and maintain the airport as an airport. By accepting over $12.7 million in Airport Improvement Program funding the city has committed to keeping the airport open as a public use airport. The FAA's policy is to strengthen the national airport system and the agency does not support the closure of public airports. "The FAA has rarely approved an application to close an airport," the FAA's letter said. "Such approvals were only in highly unusual circumstances where closing the airport provided a benefit to civil aviation. We encourage you to review your Federal obligations before taking steps that are counter to your contractual obligations with the FAA."