Consultants outline Rio Vista airport layout plan update, flag FAA funding limits on runway work

Consultants from the airport planning team presented a draft airport layout plan (ALP) update to the Rio Vista Airport Commission, detailing pavement inspections, runway priorities and options for hangar, taxiway and fuel improvements.

Erin Sheeland, project manager for the ALP update, told the commission the ALP is "an airport layout plan"—a single drawing within a broader report meant to set a 20‑year development strategy and to document projects in a way the Federal Aviation Administration can review. Sheeland said the package will include a narrative report, an ALP drawing set and an airport capital improvement plan (ACIP) that sequences and cost‑estimates near‑term work.

“This really is an FAA requirement that, this data needs to be updated usually every five years,” said Connor Ivanski, an engineer at Kinley Horn, describing a pavement management system the team began last week and saying the work will support grant applications for runway rehabilitation. Ivanski identified Runway 7/25 as a top priority for testing and design work.

The consultants repeatedly emphasized the limits of FAA funding. They told the commission that Runway 7/25 is 75 feet wide today but FAA design standards for the airport’s critical aircraft would typically fund 60 feet. "If we can't get some kind of a variance, they will only fund the 60 foot and not the 75," a consultant said, and the team said it will model cost scenarios that show the differential so the city can decide whether to retain and pay for extra width or accept an FAA‑funded 60‑foot rehabilitation.

The team also flagged runway protection zones (RPZs) as a constraint: portions of RPZ at the end of Runway 25 lie outside airport property, which can complicate FAA eligibility and require land‑control strategies ahead of major projects. Consultants said they will include RPZ and environmental considerations (wetlands, migratory birds, cultural resources) in alternatives analyses.

On operational data, planner Drew Latouche and the team described how they set a 2024 baseline for forecasting based‑aircraft and annual operations using tenant feedback, FAA terminal area forecasts and OPSNET data. They noted smaller, non‑towered airports often lack complete automatic tracking (for example, no ADS‑B logger at Rio Vista), so consultants recommended temporary or subscription data collection to bolster future forecasts.

The team presented several safety‑oriented taxiway findings: nonstandard intersection angles, wide expanses that reduce signage visibility, taxiway crossings of the runway center third (a runway‑incursion risk) and apron connectors that allow direct, turn‑free access onto runways. Those items were described as improvements to consider when pavement requires reconstruction rather than immediate, high‑priority work.

On general‑aviation services, consultants reported Rio Vista has two 8,000‑gallon tanks (16,000 gallons total) for 100LL fuel and no fixed base operator (FBO). They discussed options for reintroducing Jet A (tank conversion, truck delivery or an FBO proposal) but noted those investments must be justified by demand. The team programmed aircraft storage at 53 units for planning purposes while noting available airport land could accommodate hangars if market conditions support development.

Consultants outlined next steps and schedule: finish alternatives, identify a recommended development plan, prepare phasing and cost estimates, complete the narrative and ALP drawing set, and submit to the FAA. Sheeland said the team hoped to submit the ALP within about six months and that FAA review typically requires a minimum 45 days but can take longer.

A procedural note: the commission approved the minutes from the Sept. 15 regular meeting after a motion and second; the clerk recorded three yes votes and the motion passed.

The consultants said they will return with draft ALP documents, public‑meeting materials and follow‑up information on items the commission asked about (local weather system/AWOS reporting, possible data collection subscriptions, and RPZ land control options).