Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) officials are inching closer to a new local zoning ordinance that will impact land uses within a 10-mile radius of the airport.

The airport’s Joint Zoning Board will host a public hearing on the proposed ordinance on Oct. 19 starting at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room at the airport. It’s the second public hearing on the proposed ordinance, following an initial hearing in late February that drew more than 30 area residents and local officials held at Northwestern Michigan College.

Work on a new local zoning ordinance began in late 2023 when Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties approved establishing a local zoning board to address land uses that could impact aerial operations at the airport. That authority currently rests with state Office of Aeronatics which is part of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The ordinance was developed by the airport’s Joint Zoning Commission, made up of municipal planners and officials from Traverse City along with Garfield, East Bay, Peninsula and Acme townships. The ordinance will serve as an “overlay” to current city and township ordinances on land uses that could impact airport operations including multi-story buildings, communication towers, wind turbines and more. Stricter development rules would apply to zones closest to the airport, with fewer restrictions in areas further away in the 10-mile radius which is known as the Airport Hazard Area (AHA).

Existing land uses that don’t comply with the new ordinance can remain as non-conforming uses, but would require airport approval for significant modifications.

The Joint Zoning Board is responsible for adopting and administering the ordinance. It includes three representatives each from Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties, along with a member for the state Office of Aeronautics and airport CEO Kevin Klein.

TVC Engineer Bob Nelesen, who’s also the airport’s zoning administrator, says there’s no time frame for adopting the new ordinance. The Joint Zoning Board could adopt the ordinance after weighing comments from the upcoming hearing, or schedule another meeting to get more public input.

“It’s up to the Joint Zoning Board and how they want to proceed,” Nelesen says. “We’ve tried to be thorough and transparent.”

The Joint Zoning Commission which drafted the proposed ordinance will be disbanded, according to Nelesen, although it could be re-constituted to work on other zoning and land-use issues related to the airport.

The proposed ordinance can be viewed on the airport’s website at tvcairport.com