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Commissioners approve two 30‑year ground leases for corporate hangars at Harris County Airport
Summary
The board approved two ground leases for construction of a 100x100 and a 120x100 corporate hangar; lessee will fund construction and hangars revert to county at lease end. Staff and airport consultant said leases follow Georgia Department of Aviation guidance and should spur further development.
Harris County commissioners on Aug. 19 approved two ground-lease agreements that will allow a private lessee to build two corporate hangars at Harris County Airport under 30-year leases.
Under the approved agreements, the lessee will pay for construction of a 100-by-100 hangar and a 120-by-100 hangar; at the end of the 30-year term the improvements revert to the county. Phil Eberly, president of LeadEdge Design Group, told the board the leases use the standard base lease recommended by the Georgia Department of Aviation and were reviewed by the county attorney.
Eberly and Amanda Roston, vice president of LeadEdge, said benefits include avoiding county debt for construction, immediate private investment on airport property, additional taxable property value once the hangars are complete, and expected increases in ad valorem tax and fuel sales associated with based aircraft. Eberly said the airport currently has 33 based aircraft and that the leases — and a planned capital improvement plan — are intended to help attract more aircraft and business activity.
Commissioners asked several operational and economic questions: differences between county-built hangars and ground leases, Federal Aviation Administration funding priorities, and typical lease lengths. Eberly explained FAA funding prioritizes safety and capacity, not revenue-generating facilities, making private investment a practical route for hangars. He said 20–30 years is common and that 30 years helps the private investor recoup construction costs in the first half of the lease term. Commissioners requested clearer economics (a spreadsheet) for future proposals; staff said a checklist and vetting process will be produced for future ground-lease inquiries.
The board moved to approve the agreements and authorized the county manager and county clerk to execute any necessary documents; the motion carried by voice vote.
Ending: County staff will finalize lease documents, collect required owner/LLC information from the lessee and use the checklist process for future airport ground-lease requests.
