Blue Ash Airport | Blue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash Airport, formally the Cincinnati–Blue Ash Airport, is a particularly interesting example because its closure was not simply the result of an airport becoming obsolete. It involved declining use, aging infrastructure, the cost of keeping a small general-aviation airport operating, and competing plans for the valuable land.
The airport had been operating since 1921 and for many years served as Cincinnati's general-aviation reliever airport. But it was never capable of handling the larger aircraft that increasingly dominated commercial aviation. After the development of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Blue Ash became primarily a general-aviation airport used by recreational and private pilots.
Over time, the airport's infrastructure also became a problem. The runway and facilities were aging, and a plan was developed to reconfigure the airport rather than close it. Under that proposal, the airport would have been consolidated onto roughly 98 acres, while approximately 130 acres would have been converted into a large public park. The cities anticipated obtaining FAA assistance to finance the airport reconstruction.
That plan ultimately proved too expensive. In 2006, the City of Blue Ash purchased approximately 130 acres from Cincinnati for $37.5 million, with the intention of developing it as parkland while attempting to preserve airport operations on the remaining property. But the required airport reconstruction did not materialize. By 2012, Cincinnati concluded that it could not afford to reconfigure and continue operating the airport, while Blue Ash was not interested in taking over airport operations itself. The FAA also had declined to finance the proposed reconfiguration. At the same time, airport revenues were declining and the runway was approaching the end of its useful life.
The airport therefore closed permanently on August 29, 2012, after approximately 91 years of operation. The decision was controversial among general-aviation users; the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association had spent several years advocating for keeping the airport open.
What happened to the airport property?The redevelopment is actually divided into two major pieces.
The approximately 130 acres on the western portion of the former airport became Summit Park, a large public park. Today it includes walking trails, playgrounds, a dog park, a fishing pond, an observation tower, open lawns and other recreational facilities.
The remaining approximately 98 acres—including the former runway—were eventually sold by Cincinnati to developer Al. Neyer in 2017. That property is being transformed into The Neighborhoods at Summit Park, a mixed-use residential and commercial development. The first residential component included The Daventry, and subsequent development has included apartments, retail and other commercial uses. The Cincinnati Port describes the project as a 100+-acre mixed-use community replacing the former airport.
One interesting aspect of the story is that the original redevelopment concept actually envisioned keeping the airport operating while converting part of the property into a park. It was only later that the airport itself disappeared entirely. That makes Blue Ash somewhat different from Bader Field: in both cases, an operating airport ultimately gave way to higher-value redevelopment, but at Blue Ash there was a substantial effort to preserve general aviation before the economics and infrastructure costs made that impractical.
The airport had been operating since 1921 and for many years served as Cincinnati's general-aviation reliever airport. But it was never capable of handling the larger aircraft that increasingly dominated commercial aviation. After the development of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Blue Ash became primarily a general-aviation airport used by recreational and private pilots.
Over time, the airport's infrastructure also became a problem. The runway and facilities were aging, and a plan was developed to reconfigure the airport rather than close it. Under that proposal, the airport would have been consolidated onto roughly 98 acres, while approximately 130 acres would have been converted into a large public park. The cities anticipated obtaining FAA assistance to finance the airport reconstruction.
That plan ultimately proved too expensive. In 2006, the City of Blue Ash purchased approximately 130 acres from Cincinnati for $37.5 million, with the intention of developing it as parkland while attempting to preserve airport operations on the remaining property. But the required airport reconstruction did not materialize. By 2012, Cincinnati concluded that it could not afford to reconfigure and continue operating the airport, while Blue Ash was not interested in taking over airport operations itself. The FAA also had declined to finance the proposed reconfiguration. At the same time, airport revenues were declining and the runway was approaching the end of its useful life.
The airport therefore closed permanently on August 29, 2012, after approximately 91 years of operation. The decision was controversial among general-aviation users; the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association had spent several years advocating for keeping the airport open.
What happened to the airport property?The redevelopment is actually divided into two major pieces.
The approximately 130 acres on the western portion of the former airport became Summit Park, a large public park. Today it includes walking trails, playgrounds, a dog park, a fishing pond, an observation tower, open lawns and other recreational facilities.
The remaining approximately 98 acres—including the former runway—were eventually sold by Cincinnati to developer Al. Neyer in 2017. That property is being transformed into The Neighborhoods at Summit Park, a mixed-use residential and commercial development. The first residential component included The Daventry, and subsequent development has included apartments, retail and other commercial uses. The Cincinnati Port describes the project as a 100+-acre mixed-use community replacing the former airport.
One interesting aspect of the story is that the original redevelopment concept actually envisioned keeping the airport operating while converting part of the property into a park. It was only later that the airport itself disappeared entirely. That makes Blue Ash somewhat different from Bader Field: in both cases, an operating airport ultimately gave way to higher-value redevelopment, but at Blue Ash there was a substantial effort to preserve general aviation before the economics and infrastructure costs made that impractical.