Staff from the City of Glendale recently presented long-range expansion plans for Glendale Municipal Airport to City Council.
Only $10M of City funding is necessary to fund the expansion, called the Eastside Development Plan.
The plans include multiple aircraft parking aprons, hangar development and roadways/vehicle parking.
The hangar development was not listed as a project item, as Matt Quick of Kaufman and Associates anticipates private development getting involved with construction of the hangars.
A new fuel farm on the east side is also expected to be built when demand dictates.
The topic was brought up during the Oct. 8 council work session. Currently, there is not a public/council meeting scheduled to present the final draft.
Most of the expenses will be covered by grant money from the Federal Aviation Administration and other sources. In total, the project is estimated to cost around $52M.
A study for the expansion was launched in 2022. An approximately 120-acre section of the designated airport parcel to the east of the existing runway is currently vacant.
Glendale commissioned an airport strategic plan toward the end of 2020.
A large portion of the plan is a $20M taxiway on the east side of the runway.
Around two acres is set aside for aircraft rescue firefighting and a City fire station.
The FAA has already designated funds for Phase One, which is an environmental assessment. The assessment should commence by the end of the year.
The FAA is in charge of the airport layout plan, while the City is handling the other aspects.
The FAA does not see the need for a second runway.
Currently, weather aid and navigational aid equipment reside on the site, all of which can easily be moved.
Concerns surround northeastern portions of the site not being conducive to aeronautical/aviation development. Due to these concerns, 40 acres have been set aside for non-aeronautical development.
The extra land could potentially house light industrial/flex land space. There is also a two-and-a-half-acre section set aside for a “gateway commercial land use” and a gas station at the corner of New River Road and Glendale Avenue. (Source)