[BoulderCouncilHotline] Way forward with the airport

From: Schuchard, Ryan <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, May 22, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Subject: [BoulderCouncilHotline] Way forward with the airport
To: HOTLINE <[email protected]>


On May 28, Council is scheduled to discuss how to proceed with the airport. That discussion follows the April 23 study session, where five councilmembers indicated support for staff to prepare a proposal for official Council action to conclude the multiyear community conversation and provide long‑term direction for the airport.
 
As we prepare for that next step, please let me highlight a few things.
 
First, I have heard councilmembers and staff offer diverging interpretations about whether concluding the process in favor of long term airport operations and acceding to grant covenants from the FAA (which obligate Boulder to the use of land and operate airport services in perpetuity — covenants strengthened in FAA’s favor in 2022 and which Boulder has not yet pursued) represents the status quo, and hence does not require rigorous or even any council action, or rather it is something that merits a thorough formal action by council. Setting aside the different arguments, this question is still open, and council needs to settle it.
 
Second, there is a key policy question that we did not fully address on April 23: what level of local control do we want to strive to retain over the 179 acres of city‑owned land that make up the airport? This is a local control question, and it is foundational to any long‑term airport decision. Because the April 23 discussion moved quickly to the topic of federal funding, we did not have the opportunity to consider a local control pathway alongside other options.
 
And third, since April 23, we have received new information that appears to indicate state aviation funding is in fact available even if the city does not take new FAA grants, per written correspondence from CDOT’s director of aeronautics. This state funding does not involve perpetuity requirements. This would seem to materially improve the feasibility of a local control option, which was not presented or explored at the study session, and warrants an evaluation. 
 
It also means that Boulder now potentially has at least two long‑term funding models available that could support fiscal stewardship:

• An FAA‑funded model, which provides federal dollars but carries strengthened post‑2022 perpetuity covenants and long‑term federal land‑use obligations; and
• A local control model, which preserves maximum city discretion over the land while allowing access to CDOT funding and supporting long‑term leases.

 
Both models appear to be viable, and Council has not yet had the opportunity to consider them side by side.
 
For these reasons, at the May 28 meeting I intend to ask my council colleagues to support the following:

1. Direct staff to bring forward the proposal indicated on April 23 in the form of a public hearing, so Council can take formal action with a complete record.
2. Direct staff to prepare two versions of the policy for that hearing: one authorizing the use of FAA funding, and one reflecting a long‑term airport path that preserves maximum local control and avoids new FAA grants.

 
This approach will allow Council to choose among a hopefully full set of fiscally responsible options at a public hearing.
 
If Council proceeds with a hearing, I will also request that staff provide information on:

• Airports that operate successfully under local control;
• Funding sources utilized by airports that have chosen to not take new FAA grants; and
• The financial and legal implications of accepting FAA grants under the strengthened 2022 covenants, with an assessment of the issues surrounding perpetuity covenants.

 
For transparency, here is my current thinking about the airport itself: I am inclined to support a long‑term commitment to the airport that provides a clear, stable investment environment and aligns with Boulder’s excellence in long‑range planning. At the same time, I want to ensure we strive for local control and avoid long‑term or even perpetual federal obligations on city‑owned land unless they can be shown to fully be in our community’s interest.
 
I look forward to a good discussion on May 28!
 
Ryan
 
Ryan Schuchard (he/him)
Boulder City Councilmember
 

1777 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80302
[email protected]
 
Office hours and newsletter:
www.ryanwithboulder.com

_______________________________________________
bouldercouncilhotline -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]

See the CDOT re: Clarification of CDOT Aeronautics Funding Eligibility and State Grant Assurances here.