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Queenstown Airport planning landside transformation. * 2026-06-16 Queenstown Airport has appointed leading design firms Stantec and Warren & Mahoney (WAM) to help with a major transformation of the areas around the terminal. This work is part of the airport's long-term development plan and will focus on traffic flow, drop-off and pick-up zones, public transport links, and parking. The aim is to streamline the customer journey from park to plane, while improving safety and operational efficiency. It will also support more use of public transport, and better cycling and walking pathways. Queenstown Airport Chief Executive Shane O'Hare says Stantec and WAM have global experience in integrated design and infrastructure delivery. "This partnership will help us create a more cohesive and connected precinct that works well for our community, travellers, and transport operators now and into the future." Key projects will include the relocation of the commercial transfer area, widening of Sir Henry Wigley Drive, development of a new rental car hub, and upgrades to terminal support services, such as waste management. Cultural and environmental considerations will also be factored into the programme, helping to create a distinctive sense of place that reflects the landscape, culture and character of the Southern Lakes region. Stantec's New Zealand Country Leader, David Hogg, says the opportunity to work with Queenstown Airport on such an important programme is exciting. "We'll work with the airport to design a people-focused precinct that delivers a safer, more connected experience for everyone, from travellers through to public transport providers and commercial operators." Warren & Mahoney Project Principal Simon Hardy says: "It's a great privilege to be working alongside the airport and Stantec on this programme." "Queenstown Airport has a bold vision for the next evolution of the precinct - to become a world-class mixed-use destination - and we're excited to be part of the journey." Warren & Mahoney is also using its architectural expertise to help Queenstown Airport develop a concept design for a major expansion and upgrade of the terminal. * COUNTRY / AREA - New Zealand * AUTHOR - Queenstown Airport * 2026-06-16 * Members' News Qantas international relauches at gold coast airport. * 2026-06-15 * Members' News

Microsoft steps up environmental efforts. To offset development impacts, tech giant develops mitigation land bank June 10, 2026 Microsoft is developing a 614-acre "mitigation bank" on Antlers Road near Boydton as the tech giant broadens its involvement in Mecklenburg County beyond data centers. Company representatives spelled out plans for the mitigation land bank at the monthly meeting of the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors on Monday. Kristin Vaughan, senior community affairs manager for Microsoft, told supervisors that Microsoft wanted to provide "an overview of our mitigation bank on Antlers Road, explain what a mitigation bank is and why it is needed and share the anticipated benefits to the local environment and community." A mitigation bank is a restoration and preservation site established to compensate for damage to streams, wetlands or other aquatic resources created by permitted construction. Instead of requiring each developer to carry out small, separate restoration projects, mitigation banks can be used to generate offsetting credits for environmental damage through large-scale environmental work. Developers can purchase credits to satisfy permit conditions, shifting the long-term responsibility for monitoring and maintenance to the bank sponsor. Mitigation banks must be approved by state and federal regulators in order for developers to claim the credits. Lexi Jones, Microsoft's director of environmental permitting, said the Antlers Road project centers on compensatory mitigation - a process required when major projects such as road improvements, data centers and related infrastructure affect streams, wetlands or other regulated resources and trigger state and federal permits. For Microsoft, that framework has become increasingly important as the company continues building data centers and related infrastructure in Mecklenburg County, according to company representatives. Jones said the Antlers Road bank is intended to serve two purposes: help Microsoft meet permit compliance requirements and create credits that can be purchased by other entities, including VDOT, Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, Dominion Energy and other development concerns. The project is being reviewed through a process overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The Corps of Engineers and Virginia DEQ have labeled the site as part of the proposed Boydton Regional Umbrella Mitigation Bank. Jones said Microsoft chose the Antlers Road property to keep the environmental benefits of mitigation work located within Mecklenburg County. "When we looked at the magnitude of where we were moving in the direction of this county, I really wanted to find something that was putting the impact and the good environmental restoration back directly in this community," she said. She described the effort as a first-of-its-kind environmental investment for Microsoft in the U.S. because the company identified and purchased the land specifically for restoration and mitigation. Jones said the site is expected to support development "for as long as I can see," reflecting both Microsoft's continued presence in Mecklenburg County and the ongoing need for environmental offsets as the county grows. She said that need is one reason the Antlers Road site stood out. Travis Crayosky of Stantec Consulting Services, a consulting firm hired by Microsoft to develop the mitigation bank, told supervisors the property covers roughly 614 acres - nearly a square mile - and "sells itself" as a mitigation site because of the range of restoration opportunities it contains. Crayosky, who specializes in stream and wetland assessment and restoration design, construction management and monitoring and reporting activities, said the property includes more than 4.5 miles of stream resources, including frontage on Allen Creek, about two miles of Mine Creek and an unnamed tributary, as well as more than 20 acres of wetland preservation. He said different wetland areas would be restored as varied habitat types to improve biodiversity, habitat function and water quality, while about 300 acres would be managed for pollinator habitat and another 200 to 300 acres would be planted in native forest. Crayosky said the habitat work could benefit birds, bees, butterflies and other species while helping the region "get out in front of some things that could actually prevent certain species from being listed as threatened or endangered statewide." Jones said Microsoft is the first data center operator in the nation to enroll in the Monarch butterfly preservation effort. Both the Chase City Conservancy - a separate Microsoft project and its first mitigation and conservation venture in the county - and the proposed Antlers Road site will participate in the butterfly preservation program. Once final agency approvals are secured, Jones said construction is expected to begin later this summer, with restoration work unfolding over the next two to three years. Crayosky said that work will include restoring nearly five miles of streams and wetlands, removing small livestock watering ponds, moving earth and bringing in rock and wood needed to stabilize stream channels, rebuild habitat and improve water quality. Some of the rock, he said, has been stockpiled from excavation at the Mecklenburg County high-middle school complex in Baskerville. Both Jones and Crayosky said the Antlers Road site would be preserved in perpetuity and subject to ongoing compliance monitoring. Jones said there will be annual inspections and long-term maintenance obligations tied to the bank. The property, now largely pastureland, includes cattle that will remain in place as long as practical to help suppress invasive species before being removed later in the process. A homestead on the property will be used by site personnel, but Jones said the site is not being designed as a recreation area and will not include picnic tables or other amenities. She added that the land will not be enclosed by large-scale fencing because the goal is to allow wildlife to move freely across the landscape. The Antlers Road proposal will be Microsoft's second major conservation project in Mecklenburg County, following the Chase City Conservancy Project, a 230-acre ecological reserve and restoration site on data center property south of Chase City near Highway 92. Jones said the Antlers Road bank is about three times larger than the Chase City site, which was designed to offset environmental impacts for three Microsoft data center projects under construction in the county. That conservancy, created about two years ago, restored degraded wetlands and waterways, added plantings of native flora and established a pollinator habitat. The Chase City conservancy also included more than three miles of ADA-accessible walking trails and a learning center for K-12 students and local residents. Microsoft has said it worked with local Master Naturalists and Mecklenburg County Public Schools on the project. Following the presentation at Monday's board meeting, supervisors Kirk Gravitt and David Brankley asked about tree species and possible community partnerships. Crayosky said the reforestation palette remains flexible but will rely on hardwood species native to Mecklenburg County, including red maple, sweet gum, river birch and sycamore. Gravitt suggested adding American chestnut trees, saying the inclusion would benefit wildlife. Brankley asked Jones whether Microsoft was exploring ways the project could create educational opportunities with local schools. Jones said the company is open to partnerships that align with the site's conservation mission.