Decatur reviews 20-year airport layout plan; council directs city to form advisory board

Consultants from Wolpert presented a 20-year Airport Layout Plan (ALP) to the Decatur City Council and said the plan is intended to guide runway, taxiway and hangar development and to support a future design standard upgrade from B1 to B2.

The plan calls for a runway widening and extension (paving over portions of runway safety areas to increase takeoff length without changing the landing surface), completion of a full parallel taxiway, phased hangar development including T-hangars and larger box hangars, and relocation of the AWOS. Consultants said the design aircraft used for future planning is a midsize business jet (a Citation family model) and that the runway improvements would reach a useful threshold of about 5,000 feet for certain operators. Much of the proposed work will be phased; consultants said some runway and taxiway rehab is already included in an imminent project but runway extension work was not included in that contract.

City Manager Nate told the council the ALP will go next to TxDOT and the FAA for review; the consultant said it has been to TxDOT with minor comments and was in FAA review. Once FAA and TxDOT review are complete, staff plans to return the ALP to council for formal adoption so the city can use it as a blueprint when hangar developers or other private parties approach the city. Council then considered the airport's governance structure and agreed to re-establish an Airport Advisory Board. Councilmember Jake moved that the city manager open a call for applicants and proceed with an application and review process; the motion passed. The city manager said staff would post the call for applicants for not less than 30 business days with the goal of presenting candidates to council in May.

Why it matters: Council and staff said having an adopted ALP positions Decatur to guide private hangar development, to prioritize FAA- and TxDOT-eligible projects, and to be ready for developer requests and grant funding. An advisory board, officials said, will provide ongoing technical and stakeholder review as airport activity and development interest increase.

Details and next steps: The ALP document includes a narrative report, drawings and a phased capital improvement program with project cost estimates. Consultants recommended identifying a critical aircraft and runway design code (the plan identifies a move from B1 to B2), addressing airfield obstructions, adding taxiway connector realignments to remove direct apron-to-runway connections, and preparing pad sites for private hangar construction. Staff said TxDOT will complete some repairs on the corridor before any transfer/maintenance decisions and that FAA review timing is not yet determined. The city will return to council for formal adoption of the ALP and to appoint the airport advisory board once the application period closes.