Detroit, DPSCD agree to long-term lease to bring Davis Aerospace High School back to Coleman Young International Airport

Detroit and Detroit Public Schools Community District took a major step toward relocating Davis Aerospace Technical High School into the main terminal at Coleman Young International Airport after the Public Health and Safety Subcommittee approved sending the lease to City Council with a recommendation to approve.

The move is being formalized through a lease (Contract No. 6007216) that the panel approved to send to new business; Jason Watt, the airport director, described the agreement as “essentially, it's a 30 year lease for the main terminal facility at the airport to, relocate, Davis Aerospace Technical High School back to the grounds of the airport.”

The school and city said the location will provide on-site aviation instruction, flight training labs and maintenance/Careers and Technical Education (CTE) programs in a facility of about 53,000 square feet and a projected capacity of 200 students. Lashawn Jackson, deputy superintendent for operations at Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the district plans to bring the matter to the Board of Education on Tuesday, June 10; if approved there, Jackson said construction and renovation would proceed with the district aiming to relocate classes in fall 2026.

Under terms described to the committee, first-year annual rent is set at a fair-market appraised rate of $349,675, adjusted annually by CPI; the lease term on the amended contract was stated as running through July 31, 2055. Watt said amortized rent credits will reflect capital investments made by DPSCD in the facility. Pamela Parish, chief counsel for transactions and economic development in the City Law Department, participated in the presentation.

DPSCD staff outlined the capital and operating plan: Gilbane Construction will perform construction work, Quinn Evans is the architect for design, and Plant Moran serves as the district’s owner’s representative. The district described an estimated total investment for the project in the low tens of millions; Watt said the overall investment figure discussed in the hearing is “somewhere around $14,600,000.”

District leaders said the curriculum will include core academics plus flight training, drone programming, CTE maintenance labs and related support spaces. Jackson said the district expects graduates to be positioned to earn pilot and aircraft-maintenance certifications; district staff said such credentials can represent substantial value and reduce students’ future training costs. On the value of pilot licensure, officials noted a private pilot license typically costs roughly $25,000 to $30,000 depending on hours required.

Officials also addressed contracting and equity: the district said it has used outreach, vendor fairs and intentional partnerships to include Detroit- and minority-owned firms on the project; the district named KimDokes (a small Black- and female-owned architectural firm) among early partners. City staff said Kimley-Horn will assist with oversight of the city side and that the mayor’s office, airport staff and DPSCD have long collaborated on community engagement for the airport redevelopment.

Committee members voiced broad support. The subcommittee’s vice chair praised the multi-year, multi-agency collaboration and called the project a regional educational asset. After discussion, the committee approved sending the lease to new business with a recommendation to approve; the motion carried “hearing no objections.”

Next steps: the lease will be placed on City Council’s agenda for formal consideration. DPSCD will present to its Board of Education on June 10; if both bodies approve, the district and city expect to begin renovation and construction work to ready the terminal for classes by fall 2026.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the meeting record and include Detroit airport staff and DPSCD officials participating in the item.