The University of North Carolina has decided to scrap its controversial plans of building an airport in rural Orange County.

Horce Williams Airport, which is currently operating, will be closing in the future to make way for Carolina North, the University's planned mixed-use academic campus. (Click here for more info on Carolina North). UNC officials have said when Horace Williams closes, it needs to replace it with a new one because it's vital to the success of Carolina North as well as the Area Health Education Center's Medair Program.

Last summer with legislation the General Assembly allowed the UNC Board of Governors to start the process of finding a replacement for Horace Williams. In Friday's news conference, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp said others should have been consulted.

"Whether Orange County needs an airport should be discussed and decisions should be made by the county and citizens," he said.

In 2005, a study showed several sites in western Orange County would be prime locations for the airport. Since then, citizens have formed grassroots efforts to keep the airport out of the proposed rural sites, saying the process was flawed and a waste of taxpayer money with Raleigh Durham International Airport so close by. Residents said they are not surprised by the University's decision to cancel its plans. They said had it continued with the process, it would have created more harsh criticism and negative publicity.

"We all got caught off guard by it," said Tom Schopler, Orange County resident. "It appeared that a lot of stuff happend behind closed doors."

Laura Streitfeld, Orange County resident, said the issue motivated people to speak up. Although she said she's happy with Thorp's decision, she hopes it serves as a lesson learned.

"We'd like to see more transparency from the University to the community and the community involved in decisions that affect us," she said.

Thorp said he can't say an airport will never come to the county, but he said thata moving Medair's program operations to RDU is an acceptable option that will work for years to come.

He said there's no set timeline when Horace Williams Airport will close. It will depend on when Carolina North will be ready to be built and how the economy shapes up.