La Porte Council asks staff to pursue FAA/TxDOT review after hearing residential "through‑the‑fence" request

The La Porte City Council instructed the city manager's office to engage TxDOT Aviation and begin legal and regulatory review of a private pilot's request for residential through‑the‑fence access to La Porte Municipal Airport, with quarterly updates to council.

Keith McGill, a private pilot and applicant, described residential hangar access arrangements he has seen elsewhere and said he would cover construction costs such as taxiway improvements. TxDOT Aviation representative Meredith Gomez and city airport staff cautioned that federal review is required and that FAA consideration, conducted through TxDOT in Texas, can take roughly 18 to 24 months.

"Through‑the‑fence operations are honestly very complicated procedures, and they do have to be approved by the FAA," a TxDOT representative told the council, noting the agency's role and the need for a draft agreement and an updated airport layout plan before the FAA review begins.

Council members discussed security, equal treatment of airport tenants, potential grant implications and neighbor concerns about livestock and rural character near the airport. Airport advisory board members had previously voted to table the request until the city's airport master plan is updated; council action directs staff to begin the formal review and return progress reports to the council.

The motion instructs staff to move forward with applicable legal review, to engage TxDOT Aviation to start its review, and to return quarterly updates to council while allowing the council to change direction at any point before final approvals.