Developer outlines 77-hangar campus and aviation business space at St. Mary's Regional Airport

Developer Ken Reid presented a private development plan to St. Mary’s County commissioners on April 8 that would add hundreds of aircraft storage spaces and aviation-oriented buildings on land immediately south of St. Mary’s Regional Airport.

Reid, president of S Arrow Hunt LLC, told the Board of County Commissioners the company purchased about 81 acres south of the airport and plans a phased project centered on a 77-hangar block to be dedicated to the county under a long-term lease and operating agreement. “The immediate is the what we wanna build is the in green, the 77 hangars in the center,” Reid said.

The plan would build the hangars in stages, Reid said, and add four specialized production or research buildings and several small office buildings positioned to tie to a taxiway if needed. Reid said some hangars would be county-dedicated under an operating agreement and other buildings would be privately developed and leased.

The proposal responds to local demand, presenters said. Reid said the airport currently has “a waiting list out there of 70 for 70 aircraft.” He told commissioners about expressions of interest from avionics, sheet-metal modification, and maintenance firms and suggested the campus could attract aviation and technology firms and support possible University of Maryland higher-education training facilities.

Presenters described the airport’s regional economic role and existing businesses. Reid said St. Mary’s Regional Airport ranked ninth of Maryland’s 35 public use airports for jobs and tax receipts, and he described airport tenants including Airtech, Piedmont Flight School, Chesapeake Aviation, MedStar, Maryland State Police, and others. He highlighted Airtech’s airborne telemetry and maritime radar work and said that company employs roughly 65 people and had monthly payroll about $5.7 million (presenter’s estimate). Steve Bildman and other presenters offered optional tours of facilities.

Presenters reviewed the airport’s development history, noting private investment in hangars and a mix of taxpayer-funded and private-built facilities. Reid estimated total private investment to date at about $7.5 million (presenter’s estimate) and said the proposed hangar block and adjacent buildings would expand that private campus-style development.

Project status and timing Presenters said the plan has unanimous approval from the Planning Commission and the airport advisory board and that grading-permit agency reviews for the hangar portion were “fairly complete.” They said subdivision plans had been filed for the parcel that contains the eight buildings shown on the plan’s right-hand side and that a long-term lease agreement was under review by the county legal department. Reid said his team expected to build roughly half of the 77 hangars initially and continue building as demand dictates.

Community and operational benefits cited Presenters told commissioners the airport supports emergency services (MedStar and state police helicopters), business travel that avoids longer trips to larger airports, flight training and aviation education events such as Young Eagles Day, and a cluster of aviation firms that provide maintenance, testing and specialized services. Reid cited the airport’s two precision GPS approaches, proximity to regional employers, and its role as the only public airport in the Tri-County area outside certain restricted flight zones.

Commissioner and public comments Commissioners and members of the public who spoke at the end of the presentation praised the airport as an asset for jobs and education and welcomed family-oriented events and tours. No formal county action or vote on the project was recorded during the meeting; presenters asked commissioners for feedback and said they would return with additional details as approvals and agreements progress.

What remains to be decided Presenters identified several next steps: final negotiation of a long-term lease and operating agreement with the county, site-plan approvals for the specialized buildings, and subdivision approvals for the parcels to be developed. Presenters also noted additional conceptual hangar capacity on the airport layout that was not part of the current development review and said they would return later to discuss that potential expansion.

Ending Presenters offered to answer follow-up questions and to arrange tours of key tenant facilities. Commissioners did not take a final action at the April 8 meeting; presenters said they would continue permitting, subdivision and lease negotiations and return with further details when available.