Oxford Airport Project Moves Forward

A stalled $33 million construction project at Waterbury-Oxford Airport is moving forward after state lawmakers passed legislation last week.

Keystone Aviation plants to build a 273,000 square-foot airplane hanger on 10 acres owned by the state Department of Transportation.

Local officials on Oxford support the project because they say it will lead to economic development to the tune of $54 million annually.

When completed, the hangar will house 30 corporate jets for Key Air Corporation, a plane chartering company affiliated with Keystone Aviation.

The project hit a snag when the state Office of Policy and Management find out an environmental study on the project was prepared by a company working for Keystone Aviation.

The new legislation, which requires the signature of Gov. M. Jodi Rell, states that the developer must pay the state. The state, in turn, hires a third-party to complete a study.

The bill had been proposed by Sen. Rob Kane (R – 32) and state Rep. David Labriola (R‑131) in March.

In a May 7 press release both Kane and Labriola said this is good news for Oxford and the state. Kane said the new law clarifies the implementation and payment for environmental reports.

Passing this legislation to clarify ambiguous language in our state law will result in new jobs at a time when our region, and our state, desperately needs them,” Kane said.

Labriola said the law will streamline the approval process for job-producing development projects and save taxpayers money as well.

Next step in the process: a public hearing, which has yet to be scheduled by the state DOT.

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