Woodlands Airport (CYZU) is owned and operated by Woodlands County. The airport is a unique regional economic and social asset, supporting a range of fixed and rotary-wing activities including medevac operations, wildfire suppression, law enforcement, intercommunity transportation, aerial work, flight training, and recreational uses. Considering the economic and social importance of CYZU to the region, the protection of its investment potential and overall viability is viewed as being of high importance by the County.

In 2022, the County retained the services of HM Aero and its subconsultant, ISL Engineering & Land Services, to prepare an Airport Vicinity Protections Report for CYZU. The project included:

1. The development of a primer on airport-compatible land use planning as identified in TP1247 – Land Use in the Vicinity of Aerodromes;

2. The preparation of mapping demonstrating the extents and criteria of aeronautical land use protections, including Obstacle Limitation Surfaces, Obstacle Protection Surfaces, Noise Exposure Forecast contours, and critical sightlines;

3. Analyzing the compatibility of existing land uses in the vicinity of the Airport, including the collection and assessment of LiDAR data to verify compliance with all TP312 surfaces;

4. The provision of recommendations for the most appropriate tools to effectively limit incompatible development in the vicinity of the airport; and

5. The completion of community engagement campaign to gain feedback on the recommendations of the report to refine the approach to be taken and gauge support for vicinity protection tools.