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Mid-cycle capital improvement plan: Santa Barbara Airport highlights nearly $100 million in projects, terminal addition highest priority
Summary
Staff presented a mid-cycle update to the city Capital Improvement Program covering airport projects through 2030, including a $6 million long-term south parking lot, a terminal addition ranked highest, multiple taxiway and apron rehabilitations, and an overall near-$100 million project list largely funded by FAA grants.
Staff presented a mid-cycle review of the airport department’s draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years 2026–2030 on Oct. 9, saying nearly $100 million in projects are under consideration and that a terminal expansion is the department’s top priority.
Sarah Iza, the assistant airport director, summarized funding and scheduling: the airport expects roughly $95.9 million in FAA entitlement grants, approximately $9.8 million in local matching funds and about $15.7 million in projects funded from airport operating revenues. Iza said the FAA AIP/ACIP and a 10-year Caltrans plan also feed the airport’s capital planning. Staff noted some projects lack identified funding and that Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds are available now but will stop being awarded after 2026.
Key projects and timing cited by staff - Long-Term Parking Lot South: nearly $6,000,000; design nearing final and construction planned early 2026; purpose to add long-term parking south of the car-rental area and eventually eliminate the economy lot and shuttle service. - Terminal Addition South: environmental review and design budgeted at $5.6 million in 2026; construction to follow in later years; identified as the top-ranked project under a citywide scoring rubric. - Taxiway Echo Alpha/3/Alpha5 rehab: approximately $5.3 million (2026 construction). - Hangers 14 and 25 apron rehabilitation: FAA-funded, about $629,000 (2026). - Taxiway Bravo extension and other taxiway rehab: multi-year design/construction with combined multi-million-dollar budgets (examples discussed included $11.7 million and a $19.4 million project for Bravo extension in a later year). - Northwest quadrant sewer rehab and Goleta Sanitary District connection: estimated $2.8 million and currently unfunded.
Staff explained the city implemented a standardized CIP scoring rubric used across departments. Each criterion was scored 0–10 and then totaled; an overall “perfect” score would be 100. The terminal project received the highest score because of constrained space and operational need; pavement condition indexes contributed to high rankings for taxiway projects.
Commissioners asked for copies of the scoring criteria, more detail on funding availability for lower-ranked projects (for example, the Western Arrow full rehabilitation), and the extent and timing of pavement and runway redesignation work associated with magnetic drift. Staff said it can provide the scoring spreadsheet and additional details at a future meeting.
Why this matters: the CIP sets project priorities, shows funding sources and timing, and identifies projects that will change airport capacity and local transportation (parking, taxiways, terminal footprint). Several projects depend on FAA grant funding and state programs, meaning implementation risk varies by funding availability.
Staff asked commissioners for comments; none were recorded that changed the presented priorities.
