DeKalb committee defers decision on Sky Harbor hangar proposal to allow environmental review

The DeKalb County Operations Committee on an informational motion deferred action for 90 days on a proposed long-term lease and development at Peachtree–DeKalb Airport (PDK) after county staff said key technical studies remain incomplete.

Committee Chair Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson said the proposal represents a major investment: "this is a $526,000,000 project," and that the county must keep constituents informed about any further deferrals.

County staff described the item as a request for award of RFP number 22500625 to Sky Harbor LLC for a multiyear lease for corporate aviation hangar development on the east side of the PDK airfield. The agenda listed an estimated 50-year total revenue of about $576,607,163 and an estimated portion to DeKalb County of $211,270,337; staff said those revenue estimates came from Sky Harbor.

Staff asked the committee for more time because two technical products are outstanding: a full environmental study that remains in progress and an East Side development analysis done as a site-specific supplement. The full study consultant HMMH has requested a contract extension to finish reviews affected by delays at the Federal Aviation Administration. Staff estimated the full study cost at about $1.5 million and said the East Side analysis cost roughly $125,000.

A staff representative said the East Side development analysis has been completed but the county was awaiting a convening of multiple entities to review and discuss the results before presenting them to the committee. The committee was told it should expect the full environmental study before the end of the year and that the administration will return with a requested contract extension for HMMH to ensure the study timeline is covered.

Several commissioners urged clearer revenue estimates for planning and public transparency. One commissioner asked staff to provide a more detailed breakdown of the types of aircraft assumed in Sky Harbor's pro forma because revenue projections depend on aircraft mix.

Action: Commissioner moved and the committee approved deferral of the item for 90 days to allow the county and outside reviewers to complete their analyses and to provide additional detail to commissioners and the public.

The committee recorded no final decision on the lease or award. Staff said it will continue public updates and return with completed studies and a refined revenue/aircraft-assumption analysis when scheduling the item for committee consideration.