Airport staff present preferred master-plan alternative; commissioners request draft ALP before public open house

Consultants and airport staff on July 8 presented the draft airport master plan and a preferred airport-layout alternative that includes shifting Runway 6/24 along its existing alignment to meet runway-safety-area objectives while minimizing coastal-erosion impacts.

Laura Kim, the consultant leading the presentation, told the Nantucket Memorial Airport Commission the preferred runway alternative was selected because it best balanced construction feasibility, minimized environmental impacts and allowed the airport to accommodate a full runway-safety-area where feasible. The study considered multiple FAA-recommended options — including doing nothing, reducing runway length, rotating the runway and installing an engineered material arresting system — and recommended a shift of the existing runway alignment as the most feasible approach.

The plan maps aeronautical and potential non-aeronautical development areas, phases projects into three time bands (1–5 years, 6–10 years and 11–20 years), and includes preliminary cost estimates and funding pathways that rely on FAA grants, state (MassDOT) assistance and airport revenue. Staff noted the airport is exceeding earlier passenger facility charge (PFC) collection forecasts, which may help local shares for future projects. The airport layout plan (ALP) and full sheet set will be submitted to the FAA for review once final edits are complete.

Commissioners asked for an advance copy of the draft ALP so they could review legible sheets prior to the next public open house; consultants agreed to provide the ALP to commissioners before the outreach. Commissioners also debated whether the open house should remain Aug. 5 during the peak summer season (consultants said the date was chosen specifically to capture summer-season input) or move to a later date such as September when terminal congestion and visitor volumes are lower. Staff said they would revisit timing and logistics, and confirmed a poster-board format showing the preferred alternative would be available at the open house rather than a final ALP sheet set if the ALP had not completed internal QC.

Why it matters: the master plan establishes a 20-year development framework, sequences runway reconstruction and potential airside/landside improvements, and sets the airport layout plan that the FAA will review. Decisions on project phasing, funding and public outreach affect when construction and environmental review would proceed.