St. Clair Regional Airport | St. Clair, MO
St. Clair Regional Airport in St. Clair, Missouri (K39) is an interesting example, in that the City spent roughly seven years trying to close the airport, faced resistance from the FAA and pilots, and ultimately obtained a special act of Congress allowing the closure. The airport officially closed on November 13, 2017.
The airport was a small, non-towered general-aviation facility of about 79 acres. It had been built in the 1960s with a combination of federal money, city money and private contributions. By the late 1990s, however, the city was spending roughly $30,000–$50,000 a year maintaining it, while the airport had only a handful of based aircraft. The property was also in a particularly valuable location, immediately adjacent to Interstate 44 and Missouri Highway 47.
The city's argument was essentially that the airport was underutilized and consuming scarce aviation resources that could be put to better use at other nearby airports. St. Clair officials argued that the airport had never produced a meaningful economic benefit for the community and that federal and state aviation money would be more productive if directed toward better-performing airports.
There was substantial opposition. Local pilots argued that the airport's poor condition was itself responsible for declining activity and that the city was deliberately allowing the airport to deteriorate. The city's proposed redevelopment also made the pilots suspicious because the property was attractive for retail development. A contemporary account noted that the airport's flight path interfered with a proposed strip-mall development west of the property.
The FAA initially resisted the closure because St. Clair had accepted federal airport grants and therefore had continuing obligations to keep the property available for aviation. In a 2011 letter, the FAA specifically told the city that economic development alone was not sufficient justification for releasing the airport from its federal obligations. The city had to demonstrate an aviation benefit and arrange for the airport's assets and value to be transferred to other airports.
That became the central issue. St. Clair eventually obtained congressional legislation in 2014 specifically releasing the city from the federal restrictions, subject to repayment and other conditions. The city ultimately had to account for more than $760,000 in federal grants that had been invested in the airport.
The airport property was intended for commercial redevelopment, particularly retail and other economic development. The city's original rationale specifically identified the property's location at I-44 and Highway 47 as making it more valuable for commercial development and expansion of the local tax base.
The former airport has instead been incorporated into the surrounding commercial/industrial development area, with the runway and airport facilities gradually disappearing. Recent historical documentation shows that the runway and remaining hangars persisted for several years after the 2017 closure, but the airport infrastructure has been progressively abandoned and removed.
The airport was a small, non-towered general-aviation facility of about 79 acres. It had been built in the 1960s with a combination of federal money, city money and private contributions. By the late 1990s, however, the city was spending roughly $30,000–$50,000 a year maintaining it, while the airport had only a handful of based aircraft. The property was also in a particularly valuable location, immediately adjacent to Interstate 44 and Missouri Highway 47.
The city's argument was essentially that the airport was underutilized and consuming scarce aviation resources that could be put to better use at other nearby airports. St. Clair officials argued that the airport had never produced a meaningful economic benefit for the community and that federal and state aviation money would be more productive if directed toward better-performing airports.
There was substantial opposition. Local pilots argued that the airport's poor condition was itself responsible for declining activity and that the city was deliberately allowing the airport to deteriorate. The city's proposed redevelopment also made the pilots suspicious because the property was attractive for retail development. A contemporary account noted that the airport's flight path interfered with a proposed strip-mall development west of the property.
The FAA initially resisted the closure because St. Clair had accepted federal airport grants and therefore had continuing obligations to keep the property available for aviation. In a 2011 letter, the FAA specifically told the city that economic development alone was not sufficient justification for releasing the airport from its federal obligations. The city had to demonstrate an aviation benefit and arrange for the airport's assets and value to be transferred to other airports.
That became the central issue. St. Clair eventually obtained congressional legislation in 2014 specifically releasing the city from the federal restrictions, subject to repayment and other conditions. The city ultimately had to account for more than $760,000 in federal grants that had been invested in the airport.
The airport property was intended for commercial redevelopment, particularly retail and other economic development. The city's original rationale specifically identified the property's location at I-44 and Highway 47 as making it more valuable for commercial development and expansion of the local tax base.
The former airport has instead been incorporated into the surrounding commercial/industrial development area, with the runway and airport facilities gradually disappearing. Recent historical documentation shows that the runway and remaining hangars persisted for several years after the 2017 closure, but the airport infrastructure has been progressively abandoned and removed.