Syracuse Suburban Airport
Encyclopedia
Syracuse Suburban Airport is a privately-owned public-use airport
in Oswego County
, New York
, United States
. It is located 13 nautical mile
s (24 km) north of the central business district
of the city of Syracuse
. The airport is off Gildner Road in the village of Central Square
, which is located in the Town of Hastings
.
According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2009–2013, the facility is categorized
as a reliever airport for the Syracuse Hancock International Airport
.
Syracuse Suburban Airport LLC purchased the 93 acre
airport site for $350,000 on July 2, 2004. That same year it was awarded a $300,000 grant from New York State to rehabilitate its runway and conduct a master plan study that would be required to complete additional projects. In 2005 the company spent $414,000 to purchase three additional properties totaling 91 acres (368,264.3 m²).
In January 2008, the Hastings Town Board denied a zoning change that would have allowed Syracuse Suburban Airport to reopen. The town contends the grandfathered
use as an airport expired because the previous owner sold the property in 2004 and it hasn't been used as an airport since that time. However, the current owners have a pending lawsuit
against the Hastings Zoning Board of Appeals, which will be heard in the New York State Supreme Court.
One of the airport's owners also owned Michael Airfield
in nearby Cicero, New York
, which has been closed. That airport's federally funded status was transferred to Syracuse Suburban Airport, where a new runway was under construction in 2009. The new runway was completed in 2010.
of 400 feet (122 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 which measures 2,500 by 60 feet (762 x 18 m).
Previous FAA records listed a runway 15/33 with a 2,660 by 43 foot (811 x 13 m) asphalt
surface. Although still listed as operational by the FAA, aerial photographs showed the runway marked with X's which indicated that it was closed.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Oswego County
Oswego County, New York
Oswego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 122,109. The City of Oswego and the Village of Pulaski serve as the dual county seats in a two shire system of government...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located 13 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (24 km) north of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of the city of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. The airport is off Gildner Road in the village of Central Square
Central Square, New York
Central Square is a village in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,646 at the 2000 census.The Village of Central Square is located in the south part of the Town of Hastings on Route 49 and US Route 11. The village is west of Interstate 81...
, which is located in the Town of Hastings
Hastings, New York
Hastings is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 8,803 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Hastings Curtiss, a prominent citizen and member of the State Assembly in 1824....
.
According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. It is developed and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration . Its purposes are:* to identify all the airports in the U.S...
for 2009–2013, the facility is categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
as a reliever airport for the Syracuse Hancock International Airport
Syracuse Hancock International Airport
Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located northeast of Syracuse, in Onondaga County, New York, off of Interstate 81 near Mattydale, New York. The main terminal complex is located at the eastern end of Colonel Eileen Collins Boulevard.-History:In 1927...
.
History
The airfield dates back to around 1960, and it was in operation until the mid-1980s. Its original name was Central Square Airport. In the 1970s the town board changed the zoning to residential but the airport was exempted as long as it remained open.Syracuse Suburban Airport LLC purchased the 93 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
airport site for $350,000 on July 2, 2004. That same year it was awarded a $300,000 grant from New York State to rehabilitate its runway and conduct a master plan study that would be required to complete additional projects. In 2005 the company spent $414,000 to purchase three additional properties totaling 91 acres (368,264.3 m²).
In January 2008, the Hastings Town Board denied a zoning change that would have allowed Syracuse Suburban Airport to reopen. The town contends the grandfathered
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
use as an airport expired because the previous owner sold the property in 2004 and it hasn't been used as an airport since that time. However, the current owners have a pending lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the Hastings Zoning Board of Appeals, which will be heard in the New York State Supreme Court.
One of the airport's owners also owned Michael Airfield
Michael Airfield
Michael Airfield is a public airport located on 34 acres just northwest of the central business district of Cicero, New York, United States. The airport is privately owned but open to public flight operations.- Facilities and background :...
in nearby Cicero, New York
Cicero, New York
Cicero is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population was 27,982 at the 2000 census. The name of the town was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics, honoring Cicero, a Roman statesman....
, which has been closed. That airport's federally funded status was transferred to Syracuse Suburban Airport, where a new runway was under construction in 2009. The new runway was completed in 2010.
Facilities
Syracuse Suburban Airport covers an area of 94 acres (38 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 400 feet (122 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 which measures 2,500 by 60 feet (762 x 18 m).
Previous FAA records listed a runway 15/33 with a 2,660 by 43 foot (811 x 13 m) asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface. Although still listed as operational by the FAA, aerial photographs showed the runway marked with X's which indicated that it was closed.