increased economic benefit through direct jobs and property tax revenues.
As part of their corporate recruitment and expansion efforts, the MACoC
EDD has identified several premier industrial sites that are dotted within the
city limits and immediately outside the city limits. See the MACoC website
located at http://www.choosemontgomery.com/find‐properties.aspx. These
sites are currently being actively marketed for appropriate industrial /
industrial‐related businesses. Figure 5.23‐2 illustrates the locations of these
industrial sites.
As shown on the map, the sites are within the imaginary surfaces of the
Maxwell AFB airfield, and more specifically, there is one site proposed for
location in a critical aviation area just south of the airfield—the
Approach‐Departure Clearance Surface. In addition, two of these targeted
areas are within the two‐mile AHA, which limits industrial zoning districts to
45 feet and agricultural 1 and 2 zoning districts to 35 feet. Moreover,
development of industrial sites so close to the end of the runway can
represent other impacts to aviation including the generation of dust, smoke,
or steam. The structure and the type of development can pose safety risks
to aircraft, the pilots, and the general public if located in this area and not
considerate of military compatibility measures. This could ultimately
degrade the effectiveness of training at Maxwell AFB.
In addition, this type of development, if uncoordinated with the military, can
cause encroachment by causing the military to modify their training routes
or flight paths to avoid such vertical obstructions. If vertical obstructions
continue to develop without appropriate coordination with all pertinent
stakeholders including Maxwell AFB and Montgomery Regional Airport /
Dannelly Regional Airport, then the potential for lost or realigned military
missions or realignments of commercial flights can occur, which ultimately
results in lost revenues and possibly a reduction of jobs.
June 2017
Compatibility Assessment
While the planning and development community may be aware of the City
of Montgomery’s AHA, a zoning overlay that restricts tree and structure
heights within two miles of airports, the economic development community
may not be aware of such restrictions in the two‐mile vicinity of airports. In
addition, the AHA covers only the area within two miles of airports;
however, the imaginary surfaces cover an area greater than the AHA. The
imaginary surfaces typically cover an area approximately 8.5 to 9.5 miles
around the airfield in all directions. Thus, the AHA does not provide
adequate guidance or regulations for areas outside the two‐mile area.
Conversely, the AHA requires development proposed for the zoning district
M‐3 General Industry to limit height to 45 feet within the AHA. In addition,
the Montgomery Zoning Ordinance requires zoning districts for M‐1, Light
Industry and M‐2, Industrial Park to maintain a building height not to exceed
35 feet. The City provides adequate guidance for the protection of the
critical airspace immediately surrounding Maxwell AFB.
The Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission
(CARPDC) is the covers Autauga, Elmore, and Montgomery counties.
According to the CARPDC’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
(CEDS), the CARPDC expects more growth in the automotive industry as
suppliers for Hyundai and KIA expand into the area. Aerospace is another
economic cluster which is experiencing growth in the region. As part of the
CEDS development, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
(SWOT) analysis was performed that confirmed Maxwell AFB as a regional
economic engine injecting billions of dollars into the regional economy
including opportunities for high‐skilled, professional employment positions.
Some of the strategies identified for achieving CARPDC’s goal of creating a
cooperative system of regional economic development with strong markets
and diverse economies include: promoting the I‐65 and I‐85 transportation
corridors for industrial recruitment and development, and supporting
planning and development of new industrial and commercial parks. While
this economic development strategy may be a good venture for the region,
Background Report
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