Work on airstrip for Bruce Willis suspended due to zoning

FAIRFIELD, Idaho – Construction of a private airstrip for actor Bruce Willis in Idaho has been suspended because of zoning issues.

Work on the 8,500-foot-long and 100-foot-wide airstrip was halted after Ketchum attorney Ben Worst notified the Camas County planning and zoning administrator that the site is zoned for agricultural use and that the airstrip would have negative effects on neighbours and wildlife, The Idaho Mountain Express reported (http://bit.ly/2df2cRb ). Worst is representing Dave Konrad, who lives and farms near the airstrip site.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Dwight Butlin issued a stop-work notice as a result of the discovery.

The Camas County Planning and Zoning Commission plans to hold a public hearing on a new draft county zoning ordinance on Oct. 4, at which time they will discuss changing the zoning. Under the new draft zoning ordinance aircraft land fields and airports could be built on agricultural land under a conditional-use permit.

Willis’ property manager, Mike Grbic, had said in September that the actor was building a dirt runway called Soldier Field Airport about 10 miles east of Fairfield.

At the time, Butlin said that Camas County “does not regulate private airstrips under the current zoning ordinance.” He declined to comment on the matter on Monday.

Grbic declined to comment on the zoning issue.

Konrad said Monday that he and several other neighbours have pooled resources to continue having Worst represent them.

“It’s part of their duties as county officials to pay attention to land use,” he said. “We want to address the threat to the environment and quality of life for residents.”

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Information from: Idaho Mountain Express, http://www.mtexpress.com

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