Heber City Approves Master Plan for Heber Valley Airport and Settles Federal Lawsuit

OK3 AIR secures 50-year FBO lease and future growth rights

HEBER CITY, UTAH, USA, July 5, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Heber City Council voted 4-1 to submit its new grasp plan for the Heber Valley Airport to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval. This determination will finally end in a security improve of the Airport to C-II requirements and a long-needed, required replace to the Airport’s Airport Structure Plan vital to make sure continued federal funding.

On the identical assembly, the Heber City Council unanimously accepted sure agreements wanted to settle the federal lawsuit that OK3 AIR, the full-service, fixed-base operator (FBO) on the Airport, filed in opposition to it in 2017 (AH Aero Service, LLC v. Heber City, et al., Case No. 2:17-CV-01118-HCN-DAO (D. Utah)). On Friday, June 30, the events signed the settlement agreements, ending practically six years of litigation. The settlement depends, partly, on commitments Heber City made to finish the grasp plan course of.

Nadim AbuHaidar, the proprietor of OK3 AIR, reacted to the grasp plan vote, “The City is lastly shifting ahead with an improve that has been wanted since 2004. Security will enhance and compliance with the FAA grant assurances will guarantee federal funding. Considerations have been raised over time about what an improve would possibly imply for the Airport. Hopefully, the City’s grasp planning course of allowed of us to grasp that the improve will simply permit the Airport to extra safely accommodate the plane which are already touchdown right here, whereas sustaining the City’s FAA funding. The improve presents a possibility to plan for the way forward for the Airport in a means that addresses the wants of all stakeholders.”

When requested in regards to the settlement, AbuHaidar added, “After six years of contentious litigation, I feel the settlement is an excellent end result for each the City and OK3 AIR. Heber City and OK3 can now work collectively, fairly than in opposition to one another.”

The settlement didn’t require the City to make a money fee to OK3 AIR. Fairly, below the settlement settlement, OK3 AIR acquired extensions to its FBO and hangar leases, below which it’s going to pay up to date lease charges to the City. Importantly, the lease extensions will allow OK3 AIR to function on the Airport for the following 50 years. OK3 AIR additionally acquired permission to construct a brand new, roughly 33,000 sq. foot plane hangar, which, based on AbuHaidar, is “vital to start to handle the present, vital hangar scarcity on the Airport.” OK3 AIR additionally acquired sure growth rights when the Airport is upgraded.

Evaluate of the City’s new Airport Structure Plan exhibits {that a} substantial a part of OK3 AIR’s present leasehold, together with about half of its plane parking ramp and its upkeep hangar, will ultimately be demolished to accommodate the security improve. Consequently, OK3 AIR anticipates relocating its operations to a brand new 17.8 acre campus on the South finish of the Airport, pending completion of the mandatory environmental research. The City has additionally put aside an area on the North finish of the Airport, meant to serve the wants of the Airport’s mild normal aviation customers with an AvGas-only, mild normal aviation FBO and further hangars for the storage of smaller plane.

When requested about this future growth, AbuHaidar mentioned, “Now that Heber City is dedicated to the security improve, sustaining its federal funding, and working cooperatively, we’re excited to spend money on our present operation in addition to the way forward for the Airport. OK3 AIR has been proudly serving the flying public for 23 years and we look ahead to doing so for the following 50 years.”

OK3 AIR’s contemplated funding isn’t insubstantial. OK3 AIR will start paying elevated lease charges to the City instantly and intends to interrupt floor on its new 33,000 sq. foot hangar as quickly as doable. As well as, the event settlement with the City commits the FBO to speculate no less than $5 million on the Airport as soon as the C-II improve happens.

Maggie Abuhaidar
OK3 AIR
+1 435-901-8206
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