Wellington faces a serious threat to all that makes it special. A developer has proposed putting a private jetport in the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District. This will result in noisy, low altitude jet and turboprop air traffic directly over Wellington with the risk of catastrophic mid-air collisions. It will negatively impact everyone’s property values.
The project is called the Flying Cow Ranch jetport development. It is on property owned by the McCarthy Land Trust, at the south end of Flying Cow Road. It is currently zoned agricultural with 10-acre lots. The developer proposes residential zoning, making it part of the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District, 30 lots, minimum zoning of 2.5 acres and a 4,891-foot runway with an unlimited number of aircraft.
There is already a private airport in Wellington — the Aero Club. It has operated as a fly-in community since the 1980s, and it is not in the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District. Does Wellington really need a second private airport, less than two miles from the Aero Club, when it has a safe, large international airport less than 30 minutes away? The Wellington Village Council has the power to stop this jetport, but only if all the residents of Wellington speak up loudly and clearly — just say no!
The council needs to know that the residents oppose it. Immediate action is required. Write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls and meet with Mayor Anne Gerwig, Vice Mayor John McGovern and council members Michael Drahos, Tanya Siskind and Michael Napoleone. Their help is needed to stop the jetport; to preserve and protect the rural, tranquil lifestyle that makes Wellington a special equestrian destination.
Glen R. Fleischer, Wellington
There is an election in March and we have the power to remove 2 seats.