What is it like to live in Stellar Airpark in Chandler, AZ?

Most neighborhoods have a park in the middle. Stellar Airpark has a runway.

Tucked into west Chandler, it's a community where some people keep an airplane where everyone else keeps a car. Hangar doors open onto the street, neighbors trade parts and stories, and the morning traffic report might include a Cessna taxiing past the house. If you're a pilot, or you just love the idea, here's what you should know before you buy.

Where it is

Stellar Airpark sits just south of Chandler Boulevard and east of McClintock Drive, in the 85226 zip code. You'll know you're there when the street names start to sound like a flight school, with names like Kitty Hawk, Lindbergh Way and Beechcraft Place.

For a neighborhood with its own runway, it's surprisingly central. FLYING Magazine notes a mall and restaurants about a mile away, and Sky Harbor, downtown Phoenix and Old Town Scottsdale about fifteen minutes out.

The homes

The community is made up largely of custom homes, so no two look alike. You'll see older ranch style homes with attached hangars right next to newer homes with hangars bigger than most garages. That variety is part of the charm, and part of why every home here needs its own careful look.

A real, working airport

This isn't a grass strip. Stellar Airpark is a privately owned, public use airport with the FAA identifier P19 and a 4,417 foot asphalt runway, according to FLYING Magazine. Wikipedia's entry on the airpark lists about 140 aircraft based there and roughly 110 operations a day.

It's been around a long time. In 1981, Arizona Highways called it a 12 year old pioneer of a new way of living, with wide streets, driveways big enough for airplanes and carports that doubled as hangars.

Who runs the runway

The airport is owned and operated by the Stellar Runway Utilizers Association, a nonprofit. Homeowners pay annual dues to it to maintain the runway facilities. Before you buy, ask for:

1 - The current dues and what they cover.

2 - The association's rules for aircraft, hangars and taxiing.

3 - The budget and any planned runway projects or special assessments.

4 - Whether the home is also part of a separate HOA, with its own dues and rules.

Hangar homes and taxiway access

This is the most important thing to get right. Not every home in the area connects to the runway, and not every hangar fits every airplane. For any home you're considering, confirm:

What to confirm	Why it matters
Taxiway access	Whether you can taxi from your hangar to the runway
Hangar door width and height	Whether your aircraft, or the one you plan to buy, fits
Hangar depth and floor	Room to work, and a floor that can take the weight
Power and lighting	Shop space and maintenance needs
Association approval	Any rules for building or changing a hangar

Bring your aircraft's dimensions to the showing. A hangar that looks huge can still come up short by a foot on a wingspan.

Living next to a runway

Airplanes take off and land here every day. For most people who buy here, that's the point, but it's worth being honest about. Visit at different times, including a weekend morning, and listen. If you're not a pilot and you're drawn to the space and the custom homes, make sure the sound of engines is something you'll enjoy rather than tolerate.

Insurance and financing

Homes with hangars can be a little different to insure and finance. Tell your insurance agent about the hangar and any aircraft stored there, and ask whether your aircraft policy and homeowners policy overlap or leave gaps. Let your lender know early, too, since a large hangar or a home on a runway can affect the appraisal.

Pricing a home with a hangar

Hangar homes are hard to price because there aren't many of them. A home with a large hangar and runway access isn't comparable to a similar house down the street without one. I'll show you exactly how I compared hangar size, taxiway access and the home itself, so the price holds up when the appraiser looks at it. The same thinking applies to other one of a kind properties, like larger lots in Chandler Heights.

When it's time to sell, it helps to reach the right buyers. Pilots looking for a hangar home often search nationally, so marketing should reach them wherever they are.

Schools

Confirm the school boundary for the exact address with the district. If schools are part of your decision, look up each school's state A through F letter grade on the Arizona School Report Cards site.

Nearby

Stellar Airpark is close to the Windmills area and the Price Road job corridor, with the Loop 101 and Loop 202 nearby. More on the area in Buying near Chandler's tech corridor.

The bottom line

Stellar Airpark is one of a kind. If you've ever wanted to roll your airplane out of the garage and fly to breakfast, this is one of the few places in the Valley where that's an everyday thing. The key is confirming runway access, hangar size and association rules before you fall in love with a house. I'll help you check every one of them.

Reach out to my team and I today.