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Council asks airport commission to extend RFP window for Van Nuys Airport parcels
Summary
Council members asked the Board of Airport Commissioners to extend response time on a recently issued RFP for three Van Nuys Airport parcels and to allow the Van Nuys master plan process and local advisory committee input before new leases are granted.
Council member Chick on June 1 urged a pause in leasing activity at Van Nuys Airport, asking the Board of Airport Commissioners to extend the response period on a newly released request for proposals that seeks bidders for three airport parcels.
Chick said the RFP was issued before the Van Nuys Airport master plan has been adopted and without adequate involvement from the Van Nuys Citizens’ Advisory Committee. She said the parcels remain under consideration in the master plan and that issuing new leases now risks pre-empting that broader planning and public review. Council members expressed concern that leases could be awarded at an airport commission meeting scheduled four days before a change in city leadership and new commission appointees would take effect.
Another council member who spoke in support said the airport commission has a history of moving quickly on lease and RFP matters at both Van Nuys and Los Angeles International Airport and called for change.
The council voted unanimously to request that the airport commission extend the RFP response period to 90 days and to ensure that the master-plan process and the Van Nuys advisory committee are given an opportunity to participate. The motion was adopted forthwith with a recorded vote of 10 ayes.
Why it matters: The request delays a fast-tracked leasing process that council members say could lock in uses at Van Nuys Airport before the city’s master plan and interested local stakeholders have weighed in. Council members framed the request as restoring public review and avoiding last-minute decisions prior to personnel and commission changes.
What’s next: The motion requests action by the Board of Airport Commissioners to extend the RFP deadline and to reopen a public process; the council recorded the request as approved and asked for prompt compliance by the airport commission. The matter will be monitored for the commission’s formal response.
