WESTFIELD–A city council subcommittee is attempting to tidy up the area around Barnes Regional Airport after giving an affirmative vote for a zoning change to a parcel of land near the airport.
The city council’s legislative and ordinance subcommittee gave a positive vote to changing the 6.7-acre parcel of land located at 89 Sgt. Dion Way from industrial A to airport district zoning, following the positive vote that was presented by the city’s planning board recently. The change, according to airport manager Eric Billowitz and others, has been considered something that should have occurred several years prior.
Barnes Municipal Airport Manager, Eric Billowitz (WNG File photo)
If approved, the change could open up the parcel to potentially easier development, barring that the development is related to aviation.
“Ideally, we want to market to aviation interest, hangar development, anyone who could develop,” Billowitz said.
The airport originally purchased the land, which was previously owned by Cersosimo Lumber, in 2011, and it was noted to be ideal for future development of Barnes. However, the airport ran into the issue of it being zoned for industrial A and it was decided that it should be changed to the airport zoning.
Among the differences between the two zoning distinctions according to Westfield’s zoning ordinance, includes that in the airport district the land has by-right use, based on planning board approval, for a variety of aviation-related activities. This includes aircraft engine repair and aircraft maintenance and restoration, among other activities.
Within industrial A zoning, none of the above-mentioned uses are allowed in either the by-right portion of the ordinance or are explicitly stated in the special permitting portion, which could potentially inhibit aviation-specific development.
Additionally, the parcel of land per Joe Mitchell, city advancement coordinator for Westfield, is not directly on top of the Barnes aquifer, but rather “just south of the aquifer.” It is also next to the proposed medicinal marijuana building.
