Vernon residents and business owners are invited to the second public open house at the Lakers Clubhouse (7000 Cummins Road) on Thursday, September 17, from 4-8 p.m. The open house is part of the final stage of the consultation process for the master airport plan draft, and planning staff from the City of Vernon will be asking for resident input on the proposed development alternatives prior to presenting the plan to Council. The airport master plan will provide direction for the future development of the Vernon Regional Airport over the next 20 years.
Four development alternatives are proposed within the draft plan. Each of the alternatives provides a different level of development, include airfield enhancements within the current airport site (hangars, helipad, terminal upgrade, apron and taxiway), runway extension to 1,220 metres towards Okanagan Lake and optional eastward expansion of the airport.
A new airport master plan is necessary for the city as significant changes have occurred in the aviation industry and within Vernon over the last several years. Economic growth and demographic shifts in Vernon and in the Okanagan have affected the city’s development and employment base. All of these factors changed the level and the type of the airport’s usage for personal and corporate users.
The master plan vision comes from ongoing dialogue and collaboration with local stakeholders and residents, and is based on stakeholder interviews, committee workshops, public open houses and consultation with the Okanagan Indian Band and locates.
Development options and more information are available in the Airport Master Plan.