Workshop to board: strategic airport business plans and primary management documents shape finance and leasing decisions

Lawrence — At the Feb. 5 Aviation Advisory Board meeting, aviation consultant Jeff Cohen gave a workshop on strategic airport business plans and primary management compliance documents (PMCDs), telling board members these tools steer revenue strategy, leasing, minimum standards and compliance with FAA obligations.

Cohen told the board that a strategic airport business plan defines mission, vision, goals and objectives and helps the airport “be as self sustainable as possible,” language that echoes FAA grant assurances. He said a business plan is most effective when stakeholders develop it together rather than having a consultant write a plan without local buy‑in.

“Process, process, process,” Cohen said, emphasizing the need for stakeholder engagement, council buy‑in and a firm implementation plan. He added that the typical timeframe is a 10‑year vision with five‑year goals and one‑to‑two‑year objectives.

Primary management compliance documents and FAA assurances

Cohen described PMCDs as the set of policy documents (rules and regulations, minimum standards, leasing policy, rents and fees policy, and development standards) that an airport sponsor adopts to manage the field and to reduce legal and operational risk. He explained that those documents also show the FAA how the airport meets obligations attached to federal grants.

“How many have read the airport sponsor assurances?” Cohen asked, adding that there are currently 39 sponsor assurances (he cited FAA guidance current at the time of presentation) and that the assurances obligate the sponsor to manage airport property, avoid unjust discrimination, maintain aeronautical use, and to periodically review rents and fees as part of fiscal stewardship.

Cohen emphasized several practical points:

- Minimum standards: Set the minimum bar for commercial aeronautical activity and require permits, insurance and an application process so the sponsor can evaluate qualifications and financial capability. - Non‑discrimination and exclusive rights: The FAA prohibits granting exclusive rights to aeronautical providers; however, airports may set different rents or terms for differently situated parcels or tenants if justified and consistently applied. - Rents and fees: Rents are market‑based and should be adjusted periodically; fees are generally cost‑based and must be reasonable, justified and consistently applied. Cohen recommended time‑bounded adjustment mechanisms in policy and in leases to avoid politically driven long gaps between market reviews. - Enforcement: Cohen cautioned against adopting policies that the sponsor will not enforce, saying, “Don’t put a policy, a rule, a standard in place if you aren’t going to enforce it.”

Board members asked how common strategic airport business plans are; Cohen said adoption has grown and his team now works on several such plans per year. He encouraged board members and staff to read the FAA sponsor assurances and to align advisory recommendations with those federal obligations.

Ending

Cohen offered follow‑up support and requested that the airport management team be copied on email correspondence. City and board members thanked Cohen and said the material would inform the city’s ongoing minimum standards update and other policy work.