Bruce Willis is angering many residents in rural southern Idaho over his desire to build a private airport there.
The actor has long been a fan of the state and has spent much time in the resort town of Sun Valley. Last year, he began working on an airstrip in the remote town of Fairfield, but work was stopped after it was discovered that the site was zoned for agricultural use.
However, in December, Bruce was allowed to continued working on the project after county commissioners approved an ordinance to allow individuals to obtain conditional-use permits to build a private airport in agriculture-zoned county lands.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1 the Idaho Mountain Express reported that several residents have sued the county, claiming Camas County commissioners illegally amended the zoning ordinance.
Bruce's partially-built Soldier Field Airport is located about 10 miles east of Fairfield. The airstrip has an 8,500-foot dirt runway, which is 1,000 feet longer than the paved runway at nearby Friedman Memorial Airport.
The attorney in the lawsuit, Ketchum attorney Ben Worst, said, "Even though [county commissioners] were required to do so, they made no factual inquiry regarding how the amendments to the Zoning Ordinance might be in accordance with the policies set forth in the Comprehensive Plan. Comprehensive Plan policies that the County should have considered include the preservation of ag land, ag activities, quality of life, public safety, wildlife migration corridors and water quality."
Among other things, he argued the county didn't adequately vet the airport in regards to how first responders would respond to a potential plane crash.
The complaint said, "This is particularly important in the case at hand as an accident at the Soldier Field Airport will almost certainly involve fire and bodily injury, possibly on a large scale and possibly at locations well beyond the property lines of the Soldier Field Airport."