Airway Heights moving to build schools

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Plans are in the works for a second elementary school and eventually a new middle and high school in the city.

The topic was discussed by local leaders Oct.19.

Principal Planner Heather Trautman said the Cheney School District has recently purchased land along Craig Road for a future school site.

Schools Superintendent Rob Roettger said the district purchased 10 acres for the second elementary school, and the district also plans on building secondary schools moving forward.

Trautman also said an interested developer would like to hold a section of land for the specific purpose of building a high school.

Mayor Sonny Weathers said he “has been a tireless advocate for building secondary schools.”

Weathers said the city’s growth rate is dictating the conversation.

A study estimated a student population in Airway Heights of close to 3,500 students by 2029, he said.

The mayor said much of the issue falls in that the city falls on the edge of a “very large geographic school district, which has been a hurdle for years.”

Cheney School District has been a great partner in discussing needs and solutions, he said.

Airway Heights has accessible land between Flint and Hayford roads, Weathers said.

He also discussed the importance of the Urban Growth Area, as it helps the city to “grow smart” and keep a maintainable pace and avoid spreading too much too quickly, he said.

The panel discussing city needs also recognizes the lack of housing options in the residential sector, and planner Trautman said the city needs to develop more “middle housing” and “transitional housing” options.

She said currently there are a lot of single homes on plots of land and there are apartment complexes, but the city lacks appropriate duplexes and similar housing models.

Zach Becker detailed some options to create a downtown area with a more detailed core.

He said the city will be open for more local shopping options with a new set of commercial zones. Becker said the rezoning of Sixth Street would allow more coffee shops, restaurants, convenience stores, local businesses, etc. to fill those shopping areas.

Industrially, the city is growing rapidly along Geiger Boulevard and Trautman said Amazon is in the process of building a very large distribution center that will house a fleet of electric delivery vehicles.

Several other developers have started developing warehouse spaces and other industrial use buildings in the same area she said.

Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at [email protected]