Gerald R. Ford Airport details terminal upgrades, parking shortfall and says FAA funding is needed for control tower

Tory Richardson, representing the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, told the Kent County Finance Committee that the airport is on track with multiple terminal and airfield projects but still needs federal funding to replace its aging air traffic control tower.

Richardson said the airport is recording record passenger activity, supports about 40,000 jobs across a 13-county West Michigan region and contributes about $7.7 billion in regional economic output. He outlined recent and planned projects including the opening of Concourse A and the Club GRR lounge, a consolidated rental car facility with an elevated skyway, a new aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility, a cell-phone waiting lot, an economy-lot expansion that added roughly 1,700 surface parking spaces and ongoing terminal enhancements that relocate ticketing and add basement-level baggage screening and explosive detection equipment.

Why it matters: the airport is a major regional economic engine and the projects are intended to serve rising demand and preserve air service options. Richardson said the most consequential unresolved issue for further development is funding for a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control tower.

Richardson described the tower project as advanced in design and environmental review but stalled on federal funding: "The last remaining item is making sure that we've got federal funding from the FAA to move the tower forward," he said. He explained the FAA faces a multiyear funding shortfall and is competing internally to prioritize roughly 60 towers nationwide that need replacement.

The airport is doing preparatory work without full federal dollars: Richardson said the authority plans about $5,000,000 in enabling site work this year to keep the project moving while seeking FAA construction funding. He also gave an estimate of relative costs: if the FAA builds the replacement tower and installs its equipment, the project is roughly a $70,000,000 FAA facility; if the airport were to procure and own all equipment itself the cost could approach $110,000,000.

Commissioners pressed Richardson on timing and alternatives. Richardson said the FAA does not publish a stable priority list, and that federal funding uncertainty means the project likely remains two to three years away even after funding is allocated, plus about two years for construction. He described a limited set of partnership options (for example, leaseback or local funding for site work) but cautioned that use and eligibility rules limit what airport-generated funds can be commingled with federal funds.

Parking and guest experience were central topics. Richardson said the airport is currently short roughly 1,100 covered parking spaces and that the proposed six-level North Parking Garage cannot be built in full until the tower is relocated because of height/siting restrictions. He described parking revenue as the airport's largest non-airline revenue source and said parking funds are used to support capital projects.

Richardson also discussed service and operations: Grand Rapids (Gerald R. Ford) serves eight passenger carriers (Allegiant, Avelo, American, Delta, Frontier, Sun Country, United and Southwest) and a cargo carrier (FedEx). He noted the market-average domestic round-trip fare used in his slides ($374 for the period cited) and said balanced carrier share supports competition.

On sustainability, Richardson said the airport has begun a formal sustainability master-plan process with consultants (Mead & Hunt and Progressive A/E). He said the airport is documenting baseline metrics (starting from 2021), pursuing waste-diversion and energy-reduction targets, and recently received a $379,000 partnership check from Consumers Energy tied to coordinated power-management work. He summarized early sustainability goals discussed with the board, such as diverting solid waste and reducing carbon footprint on multi-year timelines.

Commissioners and Richardson discussed passenger disruption attribution and irregular operations: Richardson said passengers often hear "the airport" when problems are airline-specific (for example, airline staffing shortages or airline-run deicing), and that the authority works with local airline station managers on mitigation plans for irregular operations.

What happens next: the airport intends to continue enabling site work while lobbying the FAA and federal legislators for construction funding; the authority will also continue terminal and parking projects that do not depend on tower relocation. County commissioners voiced support for continued collaboration on financing and board appointments that Richardson described as helpful to the airport's development plans.

Ending: Richardson and commissioners left the presentation with the airport continuing design and limited construction work while awaiting FAA capital allocation. The airport framed the control tower as the critical dependency that will unlock the North Parking Garage and other airfield-adjacent projects.