Planning commission finds Tampa International Airport master plan update consistent with local plans

The Hillsborough County Planning Commission on Aug. 12 voted to find the Tampa International Airport Master Plan Update consistent with both the City of Tampa and the Hillsborough County comprehensive plans.

Planning Commission staff analyst Katrina Corcoran told the commission that “the Planning Commission is required to review master plans of area authorities per Chapter 90 seven‑three 51, Laws of Florida,” and recommended a consistency finding after reviewing the MPU against local plan policies. Consultant Pete Recondo summarized the update as a 20‑year study that uses an FAA‑approved passenger forecast (approved April 29, 2022) and a projected compound annual growth rate of about 3.1% for the planning horizon through fiscal 2042.

Recondo described 18 recommended capital projects organized into three planning activity levels (PALs) tied to passenger thresholds. Near‑term work (PAL 1) would be triggered at roughly 30.5 million annual passengers and includes baggage‑rotation building expansion and additional economy parking; midterm and long‑term PALs include terminal modernization, new taxiway capacity, six incremental gates by converting hard stands into contact gates, and a long‑term parking garage adding about 3,800 spaces.

Airport staff also briefed the commission on advanced air mobility (AAM) work in the MPU. The plan identifies eight possible AAM/Vertiport candidate sites — including rooftop locations on the economy and rental‑car garages — and narrows preferred locations to two east‑side sites for additional evaluation. Jeff Siddle of Tampa International Airport said the airport has a parcel set aside for a prospective new FAA air‑traffic control tower and is coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Commissioners pressed staff on transit connectivity and whether the PAL thresholds would accelerate projects. Recondo and airport staff said PALs are demand triggers: “Once we get the forecast approved, we like to work with the planning activity levels as a demand metric,” and projects can be accelerated if demand metrics are met sooner than the reference timelines.

After questions, the commission moved and unanimously approved staff’s consistency recommendation. The MPU, a multi‑volume document that addresses airfield, terminal, sustainability, environmental review (including potential future NEPA), and surface‑transportation coordination with FDOT and local transportation partners, will proceed to agency reviews and any required regulatory approvals.