Raleigh Exec Helps Secure the Future With Series of Land Acquisitions
SANFORD, N.C. — Raleigh Exec has taken a big step toward the future with a series of recent land purchases that significantly expand the regional jetport while enhancing safety and protecting the community’s long-term investment.
Eight separate transactions over many months have added about 550 acres to the existing 700-acre facility. That brings the total size of Raleigh Exec to roughly 1,250 acres, a size in line with the Sanford-Lee County Airport Authority’s current land development plan and what was envisioned in the original long-term plan when the airport opened in 1999.
This recent land acquisition project has been supported by $20 million in grants from the North Carolina General Assembly and the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation.
“This is all about protecting the airport we’ve worked so hard to develop and making sure that Raleigh Exec provides what our region needs to thrive,” said Carter Keller, chairman of the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport Authority. “From the moment this airport was built a quarter century ago, we’ve been working to develop in a way that accommodates regional growth and the ongoing shift in general aviation from Raleigh-Durham International to Raleigh Exec.
“This additional land is just one part of our overall development, but it’s a big part.”
With more than 220 aircraft already based at the airport, business at Raleigh Exec has been accelerating for years and is about to take off.
Rapid expansion of commercial passenger service at nearby Raleigh-Durham International is quickly shifting corporate and recreational aviation to new airports — most notably to Raleigh Exec, which had already been designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a reliever airport for RDU International. Reliever airports provide additional capacity when the larger commercial airport becomes crowded.
Air traffic also is expected to grow even more with enormous economic development projects underway throughout the Triangle region — including major plants being developed at two industrial megasites just across the Lee County border in Chatham.
But acquisitions weren’t only about completing a development plan and protecting the community investment. Heuts said the land also was needed to protect safety. The additional land allows Raleigh Exec to avoid safety concerns associated with high-density development on properties adjacent to airports.
And, he says, the expansion will provide much-needed space for new corporate sites, aircraft hangars and facility development to handle the additional traffic. Planned facility improvements include an air traffic control tower, a new location for the airport’s specialized weather system and a parallel taxiway to move planes efficiently around the runway.
“It’s hard to overstate how important this airport is to the Research Triangle Region already — and how absolutely essential it will be in the future,” Heuts said. “It’s something that was needed for our entire region to take advantage of opportunities on the way, and we couldn’t have done it without everyone working together, including the state General Assembly and Division of Aviation. Now, we know we’ll be able to handle all of the growth and that means there’s a bright future ahead.”
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About Raleigh Exec
Billed as a premier corporate gateway to the Research Triangle, Raleigh Exec Jetport is a general aviation airport serving corporate and recreational flights in a region of central North Carolina that includes Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Sanford, Pittsboro, Chatham Park and the Research Triangle Park. Raleigh Exec operates on 1,250 acres off of U.S. Highway 1, just 15 miles from the Raleigh Outer Beltline. It is home to corporate aircraft, the North Carolina Forest Service, many aviation-related businesses and one of the nation’s largest and most respected flying clubs. More information is available at raleighexec.com