SCH Number 2025030721

Project Info

Title

Air Traffic Control Tower Construction at the French Valley Airport (F70)

Description

The French Valley Airport (F70 or “Airport”) is a public-use Airport that is owned and operated by the County of Riverside, Transportation and Land Management Agency, Division of Airports (County). F70 was accepted into the FAA’s Federal Contract Tower (FCT) Program as documented in FAA’s acceptance letter of July 25, 2022. Pilots in the vicinity of F70 use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to communicate. Riverside County, as the Airport Operator / Project Sponsor, proposes to construct an Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) to enhance aviation safety by improving air traffic communication, providing improved aircraft separation, and reducing the risk of mid-air collisions and other accidents, runway incursions, and other hazards. The proposed project will not affect air traffic patterns, increase Airport capacity, or affect the fleet mix. The proposed ATCT will be constructed entirely within Airport boundaries, and no property acquisition will be required. The proposed ATCT will be constructed entirely within airport boundaries and in the central portion of the airport adjacent to the runway. The project site encompasses only 0.5 acre, which includes the tower, associated parking, generator, and fence (0.24 acre or 10,404 square feet), as well as the interior access road leading the tower (0.26 acre or 11,135 square feet). The proposed project includes: A 448-square-foot octagonal cab with a height of 93 feet above ground level (AGL); a chain-link security fence surrounding the tower site; an emergency generator with designated parking for a fuel truck; a parking area for tower employees (10 spaces); lighting for the tower and parking area. The project will be served by connections to existing utility systems that serve the airport including: sanitation pipe (580 linear feet of trenching will be provided for connection); electricity (520 linear feet of duct bank will be installed); communication (90 feet linear feet of line will be installed); and water (150 feet of water line will be installed). Construction is planned to commence in 2026 and will require approximately six months. Maximum staffing is anticipated to be 35 construction workers at peak utilization, with an average utilization of 15 construction workers on site daily. No night time work is proposed. The French Valley Airport (F70 or "Airport") is a busy, public-use general aviation airport that is owned and operated by Riverside County and included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The FAA determined that the Airport is eligible for the Federal Control Tower Program in 2022. The County proposes to construct a 448-sqare-foot Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) to enhance safety by improving communication among aircraft to reduce the risk of accidents, incursions, and other hazards. The proposed project will not increase airport capacity or alter the aircraft fleet mix. Riverside County and the FAA conducted a tower siting study to identify an appropriate ATCT location. The County will construct the ATCT on a previously disturbed area of airport property adjacent to the runway. The facility will include a secure interior access road, a parking area for tower staff (average of 3 staff members daily), a back-up generator, fence, and lighting. The ATCT will be served by existing utilities (sewer, electricity, communications, and water).

2 documents in project