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9 Line Holdings seeks multiple hangars; county commissioners agree to work session with airport manager
Summary
9 Line Holdings asked the Morgan County Commission to split a planned Forest Service lease into five hangar leases and add storefront‑style hangars at the county airport; commissioners instead agreed to a work session with the airport manager to refine lease terms.
Buster del Monte, representing 9 Line Holdings Inc., told the commission March 18 that the company wants to convert the area originally proposed for a U.S. Forest Service facility into five separate hangar parcels and related hard surface and parking areas at the county airport. The change would split the single Forest Service lease concept into multiple leases: an aircraft maintenance annex, three smaller 60×60 storefront‑style hangars with customer parking on Willow Creek Road, and one additional smaller structure; 9 Line proposed to build and own the hangars and sublet some spaces.
County airport manager Joe Garfield and Buster discussed operational and design features the developer would need to address, including grades and taxiway access (the area needs a raised platform), water service (an additional ERU was required), landscaping and consistency with airport frontage aesthetics, and whether commercial storefront uses would be airport‑supporting or general commercial. Garfield flagged that, historically, airport advisory board review and coordination with the airport manager were part of the process and said he had not been engaged previously on the detailed proposal; commissioners and staff agreed he should be central to further negotiations.
Commissioners discussed lease rates and structure; Buster provided draft lease language and proposed rent rates aimed at covering the county’s cost and supporting aviation‑related business. Commissioners and the airport manager noted concerns about protecting prospective private hangar applicants on the existing waiting list and avoiding inconsistent commercial encroachment; they also discussed potential benefits from aviation businesses that could generate sales tax and lease revenue.
Rather than approve lease changes at the meeting, the commission agreed to a near‑term work session for more detailed negotiation. Two commissioners will meet with the airport manager and 9 Line representatives to draft lease language, discuss landscaping and access, and refine rent rates before a future formal presentation. Commissioners also asked staff to consider whether to involve a reconstituted airport advisory board once it is active and to ensure any agreements protect the county’s longer‑term airport plan.
