Hermiston approves purchase of 140 acres near airport runway protection zone with federal and state grant support
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Summary
City council authorized the city manager to buy roughly 140 acres east of the airport runway to establish a runway protection zone; the purchase is mostly funded through FAA and Oregon Department of Aviation programs, council voted unanimously.
Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan presented the council with a long-running airport land-protection proposal and asked the council to approve a purchase agreement. Morgan said the city had negotiated a price based on an appraisal and independent review and recommended the city acquire approximately 140 acres east of the airfield to protect a future runway protection zone (RPZ) if the airport runway is extended.
"RPZ protection has been on the adopted airport master plan for the past 50 years," Morgan said, noting the acquisition had been the subject of years of studies including environmental and cultural work the airport had completed before arriving at a negotiated price. He told the council the appraised value was $2,100,000 and that the FAA would provide grant funding to cover 90% of the purchase with the Oregon Department of Aviation contributing the remainder under the grant terms staff described.
Under the purchase agreement the city will offer the existing landowners first right of refusal to lease back farmland at fair-market rental rates; staff said leasing the land for agriculture would be the most likely near-term use and would help fulfill FAA grant assurances to maximize local revenue to support airport operations.
Councilor Meyer moved to adopt Resolution 23-70 authorizing the acquisition; Councilor Hayward seconded. The council approved the resolution unanimously (8-0).
Morgan told the council the city's out-of-pocket exposure, after grant reimbursements and prior study costs, would be modest — staff estimated roughly six figures — and that revenue from leasing could offset that outlay in the near term. He framed the purchase as a long-term protection measure tied to the airport master plan and the federal grant assurances that accompany FAA investments.
Why it matters: Securing RPZ acreage prevents incompatible development near a runway and is a prerequisite for future airfield expansion. Because the deal is largely grant-funded, staff said the financial burden on the city's general fund would be limited while the acreage remains in agricultural production and available for lease.
