FAIRFIELD, Utah — A Utah airport’s development plans have been halted by town leaders that are voicing concerns over noise, safety and other impacts to local property owners.
Leaders in the small community of Fairfield in the Cedar Valley area have denied a business license renewal to the West Desert Airpark and they’ve put other permits on hold that combine to threaten the future of the remote runway.
It was 2002 when Matthew Kalm’s step-family bought the land that would become West Desert Airpark.
“It started off as just a dirt runway and two hangars - actually, these two,” Kalm said, pointing to a row of hangars that’s grown much larger now.
Over the years, the airpark has really spread its wings. They’ve added a flying club, an aircraft repair shop, and the private strip became a public-use airport in 2018.
“Then in 2020, I started my flight school out here,” said Kalm, who’s now owner and chief flight instructor of West Desert Flight School.
It’s safe to say flying runs deep in this family.
“For every mile of highway, it takes you a mile,” Kalm said. “For every mile of runway, it takes you anywhere.”
Everything was looking up when they got their mile.
“Two years ago, we were able to get a grant with help from the state to build a new runway,” said Kalm. “5,200 feet long by 60 feet wide.”
They had hopes of expanding further - they planned on the addition of 26 hangar homes and a restaurant.
But the Town of Fairfield recently denied the airport’s business license renewal and has put permits for the flight school and repair shop on hold.
“It could mean I have to shut down my operation, which means I have no way to support my family until I have another means of work,” said Kalm.
Fairfield Mayor Hollie McKinney shared the following statement with Fox 13 News about this developing situation, which reads in part:
“From the Town’s perspective, this is about being fair to the Airpark and fair to neighbors who are dealing with increased flights overhead, more noise, and safety concerns close to their homes and property.
It's also about a fair process. When a use grows or changes in a way that affects the people living next door, it needs to go through the Town’s land use process. That’s how we sort out things like increased activity, runway expansion, hours of operation, and how nearby property owners are protected. Those decisions should happen openly, with public input and action by the Town Council, so everyone understands the rules and the expectations going forward.
The Council has begun working on clarifying regulations related to airparks and aviation uses so there is a transparent framework going forward. Some applications were paused while that work is underway so decisions can be made under consistent standards rather than piecemeal.
As for the business license and the resolutions that have been mentioned, those matters are currently under appeal. Because of that, we can’t comment on the specifics. We respect the legal process and will allow it to move forward.”
Kalm acknowledged the new runway has contributed to some of the issues the mayor discussed.
“It did increase traffic by about 20% - which is significant,” said Kalm. “There’s airplanes. There’s noise, I completely understand.”
But he says they’ve set up flight path agreements to try and reduce those impacts.
“Be a good neighbor. Avoid overflight of residents to the north,” an automated radio message from the airpark says to airport users.
While the town contends that their uses are going beyond what was expected when they started out as a private location, Kalm says they have been very open about going public.
“We have had permits for the runway, for construction of the runway,” said Kalm. “The flight school has permits. I’ve had a permit since 2018. Never has it been brought up to attention.”
Mayor McKinney says they just want this process to be fair for all involved, and Kalm is similarly hoping the two entities can find a smooth landing together.
“We want to work with the town,” Kalm said. “We want to make sure that our users out here are respecting the town. It would be a shame for it to just go away.”
The airpark has appealed the denial of their business license. A hearing was held for that appeal earlier this month and the airpark owners tell us they’re expecting a decision to come by March 6.
