GREENFIELD — A Hancock County resident who wants to put a grass airstrip on a piece of farmland west of Greenfield plans to wait a few months before asking the county to rezone the property.
The Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-1 on Thursday night to continue Roadrage Solutions LLC’s petition of a special exception to allow for a private airstrip at 1323 N. County Road 300W.
About 100 people gathered in the Commissioners’ Court in the County Annex on Thursday, both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. Kurt Schleter, the owner of Roadrage Solutions and the 70 acres of farmland, said he understands neighbors have concerns. He invited people in each nearby subdivision to a question-and-answer session the night before the BZA met and also plans to have other gatherings.
Schleter said he and his representative, Harold Gibson, of H Gibson Land Surveying LLC in Greenfield, received 22 pages of complaints and signatures from those opposing the airstrip on Thursday morning.
“We believe there are some issues that we can probably come to an agreement on,” Gibson told the BZA, saying Schleter would prohibit flying the plane at night and find other compromises with neighbors. Schleter said he also is seeking approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and Indiana Department of Transportation before going before the BZA again.
The BZA voted to continue the special exception request until no later than Nov. 21, 2019. Gibson said he hopes the FAA and INDOT will approve the airstrip in the next three to four months.
The land off 300W is close to about 100 homes in the neighborhoods of Stone Ridge, Sugar Creek Valley Estates and Hickory Woods. Schleter and his family live in Stone Ridge, east of the proposed airstrip.
Jenny Belanger, who owns land on the west side of 300W, across from Schleter’s property, organized a petition against the airstrip. She said many people weren’t aware of the project until late last week.
“We don’t want it in our backyards. That’s why we’re here,” Belanger said after the meeting. She’s disappointed the special exception was continued, saying it seemed like the extra time needed is mainly to get approval from the FAA and INDOT and not because of neighbor concerns.
Jacque Powers, president of the Sugar Creek Valley Estates Homeowners Association, said she’s heard more negative than positive feedback about the proposal from many of the 73 homeowners in the neighborhood. She’s afraid the airstrip will devalue houses and turn away prospective home buyers.
“Hopefully it goes a different way,” she said.
Laura Billstrom and Dan McCarthy, who both own homes in Sugar Creek Valley Estates, said they’re in favor of the airstrip. McCarthy lives adjacent to the property and said he could barely hear the plane from his home earlier this week when Schleter flew it around the land earlier this week. Schleter was creating a demonstration video to share with neighbors who were curious about the project.
Billstrom said Schleter provided many answers to homeowners on Wednesday during the Q-and-A. She said putting an airstrip on the land is much better than developing “cheap homes” or building a hog farm.
“He eliminated all those fears,” she said. “People could ask any questions. It eased my fear.”
