Airport Facts
The Gainesville Regional Airport is a public use facility which supports commercial passenger airline, general aviation, air cargo, and military aviation for the surrounding community.
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The Gainesville Regional Airport consists of approximately 1,870 acres located in the central portion of Alachua County, approximately four miles northeast of downtown Gainesville.
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The airport has two runways. Runway 11-29 is the primary runway at 7,504 feet long and 150 feet wide, while Runway 7-25 is the secondary runway at 4,158 feet long and 100 feet wide.
The Airport’s website provides an excellent overview of the airport facilities and services offered to the surrounding region.
What is an Airport Master Plan?
An Airport Master Plan is a long-range planning document that serves several important purposes for airport management, airport users, and the local community. Airports receiving development grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) are also required to conduct periodic updates of their planning documents in order to remain eligible for future grants.
The primary goal of the study will be to create a 20-year development program to maintain a safe, efficient, economical, and environmentally acceptable airport facility for the surrounding community. By achieving this goal, the document will provide the guidance to satisfy the aviation demand in a financially feasible and responsible manner, while at the same time addressing the airport facility, environmental, and socioeconomic issues of the community. In support of this goal, the following objectives will be accomplished:
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Ensure orderly development: consider short-term needs and long-term plans.
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Maximize level of service for commercial passenger operations.
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Provide for the growth of aircraft maintenance, air cargo, and general aviation.
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Ensure compliance with the latest FAA design criteria, grant assurances, and policies.
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Provide flexibility to allow the airport to respond to changes in the aviation industry.
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Create a stormwater master plan which supports the required airport improvements.
Meet FAA Airport Geographic Information System (AGIS) mandate.
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Create a new Airport Layout Plan (ALP) drawing set.
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Enhance the role as a gateway to the community.
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Secure broad community buy-in for the future development program.
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While a number of these objectives fulfill the broader goals of a comprehensive planning document, some are much more unique to the airfield’s setting and surrounding environment.
Master Plan Process
The Master Plan provides a systematic outline of the development actions required to maintain and further develop airfield and landside facilities. This process provides those officials responsible for the scheduling, budgeting, and ultimate funding of improvement projects with an advance notice of the airport’s needs. By phasing airport development, improvements can be conducted in an orderly and timely fashion.
Throughout this process, reviews are conducted to insure input is received from key stakeholders, including the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority, airport tenants, airport users, FAA, FDOT, airport traffic control management, and the public. The individual steps in the master plan process are built upon information and decisions made during previous steps.
The project steps include:
1
Project Initiation
4
Facility Requirements
7
Airport Layout Plan
2
Exsiting Conditions
5
Environmental
8
Development Program
3
Alternative Analysis
6
Aviation Forecast
9
Project Deliverables
Public Outreach, Airport/Agency Coordination throughout each project step.