EXISTING TENANTS

(3) Existing Tenants. The City is responsible to develop a plan for the relocation of existing airport tenants to surrounding airports.

Let’s look at this.  From 5190.6b page 1-3 and 4.

The airport system envisioned in the first National Airport Plan, issued in 1946, has been

developed and nurtured by close cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies. The

general principles guiding federal involvement2 have remained largely unchanged for the

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS); the airport system should have the

following attributes to meet the demand for air transportation:

The airport system should be extensive, providing as many people as possible with convenient access to air transportation, typically not more than 20 miles of travel to the nearest NPIAS airport.

I don’t think the FAA will accept a plan from the city that states the existing tenants will have thirty days to vacate.  What will an acceptable plan consist of?  Let’s look at the Washington Airport.  They recently built as many hangars as they could, due to real-estate restrictions, and they also have a waiting list.  Will the existing tenants at St. Clair be given preference over the people on that waiting list?  If not and there are five people on that list, will Washington need to build enough hangars for the waiting list and the existing tenants at St. Clair?  Washington probably has a capital improvement plan for the future, does that plan include new hangars for the St. Clair tenants?  Where will the real-estate for the hangars come from?  Will the Washington Airport have to amend its capital improvement plan?  How will St. Clair interact with the Washington Capital Improvement Plan?  What will the process entail for the Washington Airport to purchase more land, amend its future plans, and form a contract with St. Clair.  Will St. Clair have to provide funding for this process before the sale of the airport property?  Will St. Clair have to provide proof that it has the funds to carry out such a plan?  Will the placement of the St. Clair tenants take place after the capital improvement plan in place at Washington has been completed?  How long will that take?   Will the city receive enough from the sale of the airport to fund this kind of plan?  If they don’t receive enough, where will the money come from, the City of St. Clair?  Will the city be able to fund an acceptable FAA plan without having a buyer for the airport?  Even if the city does come up with a buyer, how will NEPA play out?

Does the city of St. Clair have an understanding of the complex nature of this kind of situation?