Developers Planning On-Airport Condos For Pilots -- And Their
Planes
If you've ever felt so enamored of
aviation that you'd rather be at the airport than anywhere else --
even your home -- Santa Paula's Bob Banman and Bill Lindsay have
the ideal solution for you.
Partnering in a unique airpark housing and hangaring community,
Banman and Lindsay are planning to break ground this fall on 37
hangar-homes located on the Santa Paula airport, according to the
Associated Press.
With over 600 airparks across the country, the idea of a fly-in
community certainly isn't a new one... but the feature that makes
this one different from most is the resident will actually own the
airport property the house sits on. It will be the first of its
kind in California, Banman and Lindsay said.
The pair have designed two-story condos, consisting of a
first-floor hangar and second-floor living space, expected to sell
for as much as $800,000 each. Of the 37 hangar-homes, only 36 will
be for sale -- Banman plans to keep one of them for himself.
Undeterred by recent economic downturns, Banman and Lindsay are
not worried about the success of their project. Judging by the two
dozen presale commitments from interested homeowners, their
confidence appears well-founded.
Not surprisingly, a notable requirement to buy into the
community is a pilot's license. "I think it is enough of a
supply-and-demand type of thing, enough of a niche, that we'll be
fine," Lindsay said.
Already having worked through lots of red tape to get the
project this far, Lindsay quipped, "Every agency in the state of
California known to man is tied to this project."
Because an airport was involved, the Federal Aviation
Administration had to sign off, as well as local planners and
transportation agencies, the AP said. So did the state Department
of Fish and Game, because the Santa Clara River runs right by the
airport.
The air park, dubbed the Sky Lofts of Santa Paula, has been
well-received by local pilots, many already spending considerable
time at the airport working on their projects and soaking up the
atmosphere.
Rick and Susie Williams occupy a nearby hangar on the field, and
have almost transformed it into a hangar-home already, installing a
kitchen, bathroom and small loft. They park their plane in a
living-room setting that includes a couch, chairs and a throw rug
under the wings.
Enthusiastic about the prospect of living in one of the new Sky
Loft condos, Susie Williams said, "Tell them to just hurry up
already. Everybody here has been waiting forever for this."