Aerial view of Kamloops Airport lands. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
Kamloops City Council have voted to rezone nearly 300 hectares of land at Fulton Field with the goal of allowing a broader range of commercial, industrial and airport-related uses in the future.
The rezoning has created a new CD10 (Kamloops Airport Comprehensive Development Zone 10) to encompass the property occupied by the airport and surrounding businesses. That property was previously rezoned A1 (Agricultural), T1 (Airport), and I1S (Industrial Park).
The proposed CD10 area would be further subdivided into six subzones that would allow for certain types of development in appropriate areas, depending on things like proximity to the runway.
A small area of land near the intersection of Aviation Way and Tranquille Road will also be rezoned to P1 (Parks and Recreation).
A break down of the six sub-zones at Kamloops Airport. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
Airport Society President and Kamloops Councillor Bill Sarai says this work – which has been underway for the past several months – was finally approved after a public hearing this week.
“The core area, the main road going to the airport will have to have a high standard of form and character, and certain types of businesses,” Sarai said on NL Mornings.
“And then the air side that has access to the runway, obviously we are restricting those to aeronautical businesses and then we’ve also got park dedication [at] the old therapeutic horse ranch at Aviation Way and Tranquille Road.”
Sarai says the city has already heard from some businesses who have expressed an interest in the developing the lands near Kamloops Airport.
“There are so many exciting things possible. We were hearing from Venture Kamloops that they’ve had many phone calls but nothing could be concretely told to anybody until the rezoning was actually approved,” Sarai said.
“I think even Ed [Ratuski] at the airport has had many enquiries the last little while asking what kind of businesses are they looking for? What is going to be allowed?”
Ratuski, the Kamloops Airport Managing Director, told Radio NL the rezoning will give create a bit more leeway when it comes to development of the airport lands.
“Our main focus is on the aviation development on the air side portion of the lands, but there is a lack of available light industrial land within the city and so we want to take advantage of other opportunities that could be available to us,” Ratuski said.
Ratuski also says existing businesses at Kamloops Airport will benefit from the rezoning.
“The more volume you can say we can bring out to the airport, it supports the whole airport community development that a lot of our existing tenants rely on,” Ratuski said. “If anything, it’ll be positive impacts for them.”
“The city benefits form the tax revenue, the society benefits from the land leases, and we [Vantage Airport Group] benefit from running those leases. It benefits all the main stakeholders on the property.”
Sarai said while the majority of people who came to the public hearing were “excited” about the prospect of growth at the airport, there were a few concerns raised about what development could mean for the future of the Aviation Way walking trails along the Thompson River.
“I can tell all the residents that use that dike by the airport by the tower to walk their dogs and go for a walk and take their children, we have protected that,” Sarai said.
“There is a no build covenant on that dike and that will be accessible to the public for years to come.”
City staff expect they’ll bring forward guidelines on how the area could be developed, without impacting airport operations, by this summer.
“The best thing I took out of that is better roadways and eventually some transit on Ord Road and to the airport and back,” Sarai said. “This development is spurring on other improvements for Brocklehurst.”
You can find a list of the types of businesses that would be allowed in each sub-zone here.
