Glendale council backs feasibility study for joint indoor firing range with Luke Air Force Base

Glendale’s City Council on Tuesday gave staff direction to pursue a feasibility study and begin formal negotiations with the Department of the Air Force on a proposed joint indoor small-arms range to be built in partnership with Luke Air Force Base.

The council’s action follows a staff presentation from Ryan Lee, intergovernmental programs director, who said Luke AFB “approached the city of Glendale, in late 2023 expressing an interest, in partnering with the city, to construct a small shooting range and indoor range.” The proposed facility would be city-owned and managed, with Luke AFB renting range time under a “range-as-a-service” model, staff said.

The feasibility step will evaluate a potential site just southwest of the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center (Gripstick) where land grading has already occurred, but where “grading and engineering, water availability, sewer and so on have not been studied,” Ryan Lee said. Deputy City Manager Rick St. John told the council the most likely municipal funding vehicle would be general obligation public safety bonds: for an illustrative $20 million project the 20-year debt-service cost was presented as about $27 million, with roughly $7 million in interest. Under a staff example assuming a 20% local share, Glendale’s annual cost was estimated at about $500,000 in debt service plus roughly $300,000 in operating and consumable costs (about $800,000 total per year), though staff noted the DoD’s local share requirement is a negotiable policy and could be higher or lower.

Council members asked about access, scheduling and other agencies’ interest. Staff said the facility, as currently scoped, would be for Glendale Police Department and Luke AFB personnel only; other agencies could potentially lease time if agreed. Lee said Luke and the Air Force have identified a need for a 21-lane range with classroom space, munitions storage, showers and other support areas, and that Luke has contracted Salus O’Brien to assist with design and negotiation. Staff also reported outreach to nearby cities: Goodyear expressed interest in a prior proposal, Peoria already has an indoor range, and Surprise had been contacted but did not indicate interest.

Council discussion ranged from concerns about the effect on the city’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan to officer training needs in summer heat. Several members said they would support moving forward to gather data; others said it needs to return with a clear timeline showing which CIP projects might be delayed. Mayor Wires said the arrangement was “the first opportunity that I’ve heard where we can get a huge majority of this paid for,” and argued the city would retain the asset and receive annual revenue from Luke while the range is repaid.

Staff will return to council with the feasibility study results, cost and timeline analyses, and proposed negotiation terms for any cost-share or service agreement. No binding contract or bond issuance was approved at the workshop; the council’s action was to authorize study and formal negotiation.