Reno–Stead Airport authority begins master plan update, highlights FAA review and community outreach

Jed Hammer, an airport planner at the Reno‑Tahoe Airport Authority, told the Washoe County Community Advisory Board that the authority has launched a master‑plan update for Reno–Stead (RTS) to guide short‑, medium‑ and long‑term development. He said the project team is working on an inventory of existing conditions and an aviation forecast that both must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration before later phases begin.

Hammer said the update follows FAA master‑planning guidance and will assess facility requirements, alternatives, a capital improvement plan and a financial feasibility analysis. He described typical planning horizons as five, 10 and 20 years and said the last Stead master plan was completed in 2010, making an update overdue.

The authority selected Dura Inc. as the lead consultant after a request‑for‑qualifications and interview process; Dura and a team of subconsultants include several Nevada‑based firms. Hammer encouraged residents and stakeholders to visit rtsmasterplan.com, where draft materials and public‑meeting announcements will be posted, and said staff will hold office hours Wednesdays, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., to answer questions.

When asked about a previously reported negotiation with a lithium‑sulfur battery company, Lisa Butterfield of the RTAA said negotiations have ended and the authority does not expect lease talks to resume soon. Hammer and staff also said that evaluating major cargo or industrial uses (for example to support large freight operations) would require extensive infrastructure upgrades — larger‑plane taxiways and runways, 24/7 snow removal and coordination with city and county permitting — and that the master plan will consider such scenarios but does not presume them.

Staff explained that while RTAA owns large parcels (more than 5,000 acres across the authority’s holdings, roughly 3,000 acres deemed developable), the authority does not hold land‑use permitting power; projects on airport property still require permitting by the City of Reno or Washoe County depending on location. For that reason the master‑plan working group includes representatives from local jurisdictions and agencies to coordinate infrastructure and transportation planning.

Next steps include posting a draft inventory of existing conditions (expected late January) and a draft aviation forecast (expected in March) for FAA review; a facility‑requirements chapter will follow and trigger additional public engagement. "We welcome input," Hammer said, adding that the RTAA will return to CAB meetings at critical milestones.

The presentation closed with staff asking interested residents to contact Scott Gordon, the airport manager, about event space or leasing inquiries and with a reminder that the RTAA will advertise public meetings and working‑group opportunities on the project website.