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Kittitas County approves separate hangar lease with Cheyenne Air LLC at airport lot H35
Summary
The Kittitas County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a ground lease for an airport hangar on Lot H35 with Cheyenne Air LLC, creating a distinct agreement after a previous combined lease covering adjacent lots. Commissioners raised concerns about rental adjustment terms but approved the lease.
Kittitas County commissioners approved a ground lease on Tuesday creating a separate lease between Kittitas County and Cheyenne Air LLC for a hangar located on airport Lot H35.
The lease was requested because the original lease from February 2017 covered two adjoining lots, H34 and H35, under a single agreement; ownership of the hangar on Lot H35 has since changed and is now held by Cheyenne Air LLC. Josh Fredrickson of Kittitas County Public Works explained the change and said the draft lease uses the county's standard terms, including a land rent rate of $0.16 per square foot, billed annually, and a term structure consistent with other county airport leases.
The move to create a distinct lease was supported by county staff as an administrative clean-up following the change in hangar ownership. Commissioners asked about the lease's rent-adjustment mechanism. One commissioner said, “I'm gonna say I'm not happy with this,” and criticized the absence of periodic rental adjustment tied to an independent market appraisal, noting the county instead uses an 8% increase every five years on many amended leases. Staff confirmed the lease follows that existing methodology.
Commissioners and staff discussed the size and long-term revenue implications; the county estimated the hangar parcel to be a little over 6,000 square feet, and one commissioner projected future per-square-foot revenue under current terms. The board discussed whether public funding might be benefiting private use and said legal analysis on that question should continue outside the motion.
A motion to approve the hangar ground lease passed on a recorded voice vote with two votes in favor and no opposing votes recorded in the meeting transcript. The board closed the public hearing after receiving no public comment.
