Community/Residential Air Parks

[Panama Jack]

Over the years I have often lived in quiet envy of some friends south of the 49th Parallel who live in community airparks- where their garage houses their aircraft and going flying means just a short taxi from their home to the runway. These airparks don't seem to be all that uncommon, with prices accessible to the devout with an upper middle-class budget.

North of the border, though, I haven't really seen any. I know that private strips are a thing if you live in the boondocks and inherited a large plot of land that has been in you family for a century, or maybe have an income and budget to support a $8 million rural home.

I am wondering why there aren’t more such aviation communities? Is it merely a lack of property developers connecting with potential buyers, or some higher obstacles?

Love to hear your thoughts, as well as identification of any airport communities that exist in Canada.

[Heliian]

Winter maintenance would be a nightmare.

[all_ramped_up]

There's Cable Head Airpark in PEI. (CCA3)

https://cablehead.weebly.com/

[PilotDAR]

We stayed at Cable Head many years ago, and had a great time. My wife and I flew across to the Magdalen Islands for the day.

I've known a number of attempted starts at air parts, they did not seem to catch on. Their used to be one north of Nobleton, just off the old Kleinburg VOR, but it seems that all the home owners lost interest in flying, as they kept the houses, but closed the runway. Guelph airpark is a similar example from early days.

And yes, I can say from a lot of experience on the tractor and excavator, runway maintenance is a lot of work! I estimate that I work 8 - 10 maintenance hours for every hour I fly from my runway - you have to really want it!

[Pacqing]

There is one South of Sherwood Park AB. with a grass strip. It might be the Twin Island as showed up on google maps.

[digits_]

North of the border, though, I haven't really seen any. I know that private strips are a thing if you live in the boondocks and inherited a large plot of land that has been in you family for a century, or maybe have an income and budget to support a $8 million rural home.

In the prairies you can have a decent house and runway with hangar for less than 400k. Land is cheap.

Alternatively go live next to a lake and buy a float plane.

[goldeneagle]

I think another big part of it is, lots of folks have a house on a lake, with a dock. Want an airplane at home, buy on the water and you wont need to deal with all the hassles of runway maintenance etc. Floatplanes tied to a dock in front of the house are not uncommon, and pretty much kill the market for that airpark.

[goldeneagle]

Alternatively go live next to a lake and buy a float plane.

hehe, you posted while I was typing.

[PilotDAR]

Sure, buying a place on the lake, and a floatplane is great too, but it's a different approach than a community around a runway. Though anything is possible, some things which are fairly practical at a land aerodrome, are greatly more challenging on the lakeshore. Hangars are fairly easy near runways, not so easy by the lake. Landplanes only sink in their spot during a few weeks in the spring, but they don't sink far. Floatplanes can sink anytime the water is not hard. If you want to fly back to the airport (for fuel maybe), having an amphib would be nice, though by the time you've paid for it, and insured it, the lot near the runway is looking more affordable again!

Both ways of doing it have their benefits and detriments - which is why there are floatplanes at home at the lake, and homes around runways - just understand the practicalities of each....

[digits_]

And yes, I can say from a lot of experience on the tractor and excavator, runway maintenance is a lot of work! I estimate that I work 8 - 10 maintenance hours for every hour I fly from my runway - you have to really want it!

What do you use the excavator for during regular maintenance?

[PilotDAR]

What do you use the excavator for during regular maintenance?

Burying big O pipe, keeping the ditches open, picking the rocks which grow with the frost, that bang my mower blades - and, generally having fun at 2 knots! I said it was work, I didn't say that I didn't enjoy it!

I was going to go splashing today, but it was so windy, the excavator looked less vulnerable to the wind!

[pirocco]

Few in Alberta, Lachute. Drummondville And Beloeil where you can have an hangar with living space.

[7ECA]

I believe Vernon, BC, had a proposal for live in hangars - no idea what came of it.

Princeton, BC, is rumoured to have proposed some sort of community/residential setup as well. As I recall, the idea died due to a lack of interest - although a lack of funding is probably as likely.

And then you've got the smaller airports where people have been trying to unofficially have their in-law type suites in hangars, now finding out that the airport is under the thumb of their municipal/local government and that they'll be evicted if a "residence" is found.

[GoinVertical]

Like others said I think winter maintenance and probably weather in general make it a more difficult proposition up here. Also a much smaller GA population.

Anyone know of any good size fly-in communities in the USA where they get regular snowfall in the winter? All I know of are in nice-weather-year-round states, but I haven't really looked into it.

[DHC-1 Jockey]

https://www.bifold.com/fly-in-communities.php

https://www.airparkmap.com/

These sites have more listings for fly-in communities than you can shake a fist at.

[ctmorawetz]

There's a few fly-in communities around Chicago, which gets a lot of snow and has cold winters.

If anyone wants to start an airpark east of Toronto and west of Trenton, let me know! I'll invest and move in.

[jakeandelwood]

I think Mable lake in the B.C. interior is live at airpark or a fly in resort anyway. The nice thing about a live in airpark is all your neighbors enjoy airplanes. I imagine if you bought a place on a Lake and parked a float plane there you'd have at least a few neighbors that would hate you, especially if you had a C185.

[jspitfire]

Hudson Island in the Gulf Islands shares a strip from end to end right down the middle of the island. Last I talked to someone there was over 10 years ago and it didn't seem like many residents used the strip though.

[SkySailor]

Few in Alberta, Lachute. Drummondville And Beloeil where you can have an hangar with living space.

What "few" are in Alberta?

[Tailwind W10]

What "few" are in Alberta?

3 that I know of:
Twin Island Airpark near Cooking Lake. Grass runway with acreages around it.

Okatoks Air Ranch. Unclear to me that there's any live-in hangars there, though certainly homes backing onto the runway.

SkyPort at Wetaskiwin airport. I live in my hangar here. Biggest problem here is stupid-expensive property taxes. (full commercial tax rate)

For the most part it appears various levels of government throughout Canada haven't the slightest idea that aviation can be recreational, so all aviation zoning is commercial, with the associated tax rates and prohibition of residences on commercially zoned land. In Wetaskiwin, city council has tacitly allowed "Security Suites" to be occupied 365 days a year, as a workaround. At the same time they bumped "Airport Commercial" zoning to the full 'non-residential' tax rates of the rest of the city, which tripled the tax rates I was expecting, and the existing hangars around the airports got tax rates bumped up equally. I suspect similar problems exist all around the country.

Gerry

[ogopogo]

A friend owns a home in FL at 94FL. Amazing community of about 50 homes/hangars. A few AMEs there as well, always someone there to borrow a tool from. Resident planes range from C172 to a Citation jet.

Anyway, wasn’t Guelph ON an airpark?

[SkySailor]

What "few" are in Alberta?

3 that I know of:
Twin Island Airpark near Cooking Lake. Grass runway with acreages around it.

Okatoks Air Ranch. Unclear to me that there's any live-in hangars there, though certainly homes backing onto the runway.

SkyPort at Wetaskiwin airport. I live in my hangar here. Biggest problem here is stupid-expensive property taxes. (full commercial tax rate)

For the most part it appears various levels of government throughout Canada haven't the slightest idea that aviation can be recreational, so all aviation zoning is commercial, with the associated tax rates and prohibition of residences on commercially zoned land. In Wetaskiwin, city council has tacitly allowed "Security Suites" to be occupied 365 days a year, as a workaround. At the same time they bumped "Airport Commercial" zoning to the full 'non-residential' tax rates of the rest of the city, which tripled the tax rates I was expecting, and the existing hangars around the airports got tax rates bumped up equally. I suspect similar problems exist all around the country.

Gerry

Thanks for the info.

I have seen the setup in Wetaskiwin, noticed what appeared to be civic numbering on the various structures, and wondered if setting up a 365 day residential occupancy was possible. Six or seven years ago there was a small airfield in the greater Edmonton area (not Parkland), selling lots for this purpose. Can't remember exactly where, but cost was impossible. Around 100,000 per lot. I'm wondering if the present economic realities in Alberta are revising asking prices.
Alberta has many little aerodromes that would be perfect for a hangar/small apartment combo. IF costs could be competitive.
The major problem I see with this whole airpark idea in Canada, unlike the US, is demand. There are so few owners looking for A/C storage and living arrangements in the same package. 99.99 percent of home owners DO NOT want to live anywhere near an active airstrip. The golf crowd in Canada is huge compared to private aviation, and the number of golf-centric housing projects clustered around a course are minuscule compared with regular housing subdivisions.
Another major concern I have is resale. I just don't see it possible to get back all the money that was initially poured in. There will be such little demand for that particular set up, losses are to be expected (low structure valuation). Given a questionable valuation of what the completed structure would be, how would one find construction financing? Pay the whole project out of ones bank account?
With Wetaskiwin taxing properties at 3 times, this has got to be a real incentive killer for setting up, and by lowering demand, harming the properties' valuation. Interestingly, how DOES the municipality come up with valuation? Previous sales?
It's a shame more examples of the hangar/dwelling scenario can't exist within a cost competitive frame. Having a slab-on-grade, pole framed building with an apartment inside would be sweeeet. With the aircraft I have owned, storage was one of my greatest expenses. Being able to combine residential and A/C storage expenses would be fantastic.
For one brief summer, I had the privilege of having my aircraft tied down within a couple of hundred feet of where I lived. Nothing compares with the satisfaction of waking on a summer morning, making coffee while staring out the window at the plane and within 15 min of coffee being ready, blasting off that dew filled grassy field.

[ahramin]

Don't forget Fairmont Hot Springs.

[AirFrame]

I think Mable lake in the B.C. interior is live at airpark or a fly in resort anyway. The nice thing about a live in airpark is all your neighbors enjoy airplanes. I imagine if you bought a place on a Lake and parked a float plane there you'd have at least a few neighbors that would hate you, especially if you had a C185.

Or a Beaver. Or if the local rowing club decided they wanted to have the lake declared aircraft free so they could row (as has happened at least once in BC).

[Tailwind W10]

Thanks for the info.

I have seen the setup in Wetaskiwin, noticed what appeared to be civic numbering on the various structures, and wondered if setting up a 365 day residential occupancy was possible. Six or seven years ago there was a small airfield in the greater Edmonton area (not Parkland), selling lots for this purpose. Can't remember exactly where, but cost was impossible. Around 100,000 per lot. I'm wondering if the present economic realities in Alberta are revising asking prices.
Alberta has many little aerodromes that would be perfect for a hangar/small apartment combo. IF costs could be competitive.
The major problem I see with this whole airpark idea in Canada, unlike the US, is demand. There are so few owners looking for A/C storage and living arrangements in the same package. 99.99 percent of home owners DO NOT want to live anywhere near an active airstrip. The golf crowd in Canada is huge compared to private aviation, and the number of golf-centric housing projects clustered around a course are minuscule compared with regular housing subdivisions.
Another major concern I have is resale. I just don't see it possible to get back all the money that was initially poured in. There will be such little demand for that particular set up, losses are to be expected (low structure valuation). Given a questionable valuation of what the completed structure would be, how would one find construction financing? Pay the whole project out of ones bank account?
With Wetaskiwin taxing properties at 3 times, this has got to be a real incentive killer for setting up, and by lowering demand, harming the properties' valuation. Interestingly, how DOES the municipality come up with valuation? Previous sales?
It's a shame more examples of the hangar/dwelling scenario can't exist within a cost competitive frame. Having a slab-on-grade, pole framed building with an apartment inside would be sweeeet. With the aircraft I have owned, storage was one of my greatest expenses. Being able to combine residential and A/C storage expenses would be fantastic.
For one brief summer, I had the privilege of having my aircraft tied down within a couple of hundred feet of where I lived. Nothing compares with the satisfaction of waking on a summer morning, making coffee while staring out the window at the plane and within 15 min of coffee being ready, blasting off that dew filled grassy field.

You've hit on several of the problems we've got here. As this first row of hangars on the north side of 44 Ave. was getting finished up in 2014/2015 or so the first new city assessments and tax bills came out at rates none of us were expecting. The developer was expecting to start selling lots on the south side of the street in 2015 but with the knowledge of the tax rates sales halted completely.

The standard 70' x 180' lots were selling for $120K, my 60'x60' hangar with apartment was just north of $400k. Not cheap by any means, but as my primary residence it was workable for me. There are no lots for sale, the row is filled. There are two or three hangars for sale in the row however. Do your homework. ;^)

Resale? Forget about it. The tax rates have made it impossible to get your money back out of it. The demand was actually pretty good, if the city was a little more imaginative it could have been a great thing here. I think if they would figure out a zoning that properly allowes residential occupancy and doesn't require it to be a second floor within the hangar, I could see a bungalow beside the hangar being a really attractive option. There are plenty of hangars being built at Edmonton area airports, so the rates here are certainly killing our market.

As for financing when I built, I had lots of feelers out to residential mortgage outfits, and got zero response. I don't mean the refused me, they simply never responded, even when I enquired what happened to my enquiry. Eventually the developer got me connected with a Canadian Western Bank branch in Red Deer who clued me in. The problem was and is, the land is zoned Airport Commercial, they won't touch a residential mortgage there. CWB has given me a commercial loan as my mortgage, and even supplied bridge financing to build. It worked out well enough for me, but with no options available, it's not the cheapest rate.

I expect to have my homebuilt flying this summer so I do look forward to opening my back door and taxiing off to the runway. ;^)
Cheers
Gerry