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Livermore council hears concerns about $800K-plus design transfer for Airport Innovation Center; resident urges unleaded fuel option
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Summary
Residents asked the council to pause $622,000 in design spending for an Airport Innovation Center at LVK and to prioritize unleaded aviation fuel (GAMI 100 UL) and safety improvements; staff described the project as a renovation of an existing ~18,000 sq ft city-owned building and said the funding request supports design work as part of a larger airport strategy.
The Livermore City Council on April 13 heard public pleas to postpone funding design work for a proposed Airport Innovation Center at Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK) and to focus first on safety and pollution-reduction measures.
Carol Silva read a letter on behalf of Donna Caban urging the council to "postpone funding the designs for an airport innovation center at LVK." Silva said staff is asking to transfer "over $800,000 from airport operating funds" and that "the majority of funds requested, 622k, will be used to develop designs for the airport innovation center project." She also urged the council to direct the fixed-base operator to offer unleaded aviation fuel such as "GAMI 100 UL" to reduce air pollution from piston-engine aircraft, which she said make up "70% of the aircraft housed at LVK."
Brandon Cardholder, the city's director of innovation and economic development, told the council the innovation center is planned as a tenant-improvement renovation of an "approximately 18,000 square foot existing city owned building," not a ground-up development. He said the requested funds would pay for design components so the city could move forward with renovation, and framed the project as one element of a four-part airport strategy that includes hangars, a public-safety complex and advanced air mobility (eVTOL/AAM) components.
Cardholder said the facility is envisioned as R&D space for companies working on cleaner aviation, advanced manufacturing, fusion energy and supply-chain businesses, noting Livermore's local advantages because of nearby national laboratories. He offered to provide additional detail and to answer council members' questions.
Council members and staff also noted the city is coordinating on PFAS-related water-board testing tied to airport operations and that some safety upgrades would be required even if the building were leased to private tenants.
The matter was part of the consent calendar that the council approved by voice vote; public commenters were heard before the consent vote. The council did not take a separate, final design-authorization vote in the discussion recorded on April 13.
