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Madison Regional Airport director pitches city-owned hangar and south-end expansion

Madison City Redevelopment Commission · April 8, 2026

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Summary

Airport director Brent Spry told the redevelopment commission the airport needs an airport-owned hangar to unlock grants and private development; he described a plan to seed south-end infrastructure, cited a potential tenant rent of $2,500 per month and asked the commission and city to consider funding strategies.

Brent Spry, director of Madison Regional Airport, presented a plan to the Redevelopment Commission to develop airport-owned hangars and build infrastructure on the south end of the field to create shovel-ready lots for private or airport-owned development.

Spry said city ownership of hangars would enable the airport to qualify for certain FAA grants and attract private tenants. He described a prospective anchor tenant who would lease a new hangar for $2,500 a month and said IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) money—available this year—could fund access roads and utilities that make the lots shovel ready.

On operations and capital needs, Spry said the city will spend roughly $275,000 to replace a hangar door at an existing city-owned hangar to accommodate larger aircraft and increase usable capacity. He also discussed a runway full-depth reclamation project in design, with a realistic window for work if a grant is in hand by July and contractor availability in August through October.

Commissioners asked for more detail and time to vet funding options. One commissioner praised the airport's incremental approach to expansion and said he would like a formal proposal back to the commission. "I just need a little more time to talk about it, come back with a with a proposal for you," a commissioner said. Spry also noted the airport's revenue drivers—fuel sales, ground leases and modest levy support—and the limits those place on immediate city-funded construction.

The commission did not take action and requested staff and airport leadership return with a more detailed financing plan and formal proposal for potential city support.