Lori A. Robbins, the attorney for Berkshire Aviation, stunned the packed selectmen's room when she announced that her client wanted to withdraw its application without prejudice.
The latest episode saw the public hearing on the airport's quest for three new hangars continued to July 10, but only after the selectboard heard from both sides of the controversial proposal, with noisy airport antagonists drowning out proponents.
The plans for the Walter J. Koladza Airport in Great Barrington now being considered at Town Hall are for three 149-foot by 50-foot hangars with 18 bays inside, 18 parking spaces and an access road. But according to one of the owners, the airport also wants to add a charter service and an LSA (light sport aircraft) dealership and air shows.
Neighbors are worried about what will happen when an increasingly busier airport changes, possibly leading to even more future expansion. The pilots and plane owners say the airport is a critical piece of the town’s economic engine and a treasure that brings people here from far and wide.
