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North Las Vegas hangar owners press Clark County to clarify leases, seek MOU and advisory board
Summary
Multiple hangar owners and pilots urged the Clark County Board of County Commissioners to adopt a memorandum of understanding and form a citizens advisory board after the Department of Aviation signaled it may not renew or extend hangar land leases at North Las Vegas Airport.
Dozens of hangar owners and general‑aviation users told the Clark County Board of County Commissioners during public comment that uncertainty over lease renewals and ‘reversion’ clauses at North Las Vegas Airport is harming resale values and threatening small aviation businesses.
Jeffrey Lustick, attorney for the North Las Vegas hangar‑owners group, said more than 150 privately owned hangars sit on county land and represent “millions in private investment.” He urged the board to adopt a memorandum of understanding to create predictable policies on lease renewals and reversion rights and to establish a citizens advisory board for aviation oversight.
“The department has also acknowledged lease expirations and discussed reversion clauses and offered some clarification,” Lustick said, “but uncertainty continues over whether leases will be renewed and under what terms.”
Several hangar owners described concrete harms. Wilhelm Percival, who said he built two home‑made airplanes, disputed a Department of Aviation claim that the FAA requires exercising lease reversion and cited a case he referred to as “Clark versus the City of Alamogordo” to say the FAA does not require reversion. “The FAA is not to blame for this move to grab our hangars,” Percival said. “This is a Department of Aviation move.”
Other speakers, including Lawrence Frank, Tim Ross and Matthew Watson, asked the board to preserve general aviation, extend leases, and improve transparency. Ross criticized a proposal to hire an outside consultant for lease negotiations and called instead for direct county negotiations.
Commissioner April Becker requested copies of tenant lease agreements to review terms, and commissioners generally signaled openness to further engagement. Several speakers recommended a formal MOU between hangar owners and the Department of Aviation and creation of a Clark County aviation advisory board to provide community oversight.
A Department of Aviation director and CCDOA staff were present at the meeting; the board did not take immediate formal action on lease policy but directed staff and commissioners to follow up. Jeffrey Lustick requested the commission adopt the proposed MOU and create the citizen advisory board to ensure predictable renewal practices for hangar owners.
Next steps: hangar owners asked the board to direct staff to return with an MOU and to consider forming an advisory board to increase transparency and preserve general aviation options; several commissioners asked staff to provide lease copies and further brief the commission.
