Following recent discussions about growth at the Livermore Municipal Airport, officials plan to have new development and hangar waitlist policies in place later this spring.

At an Airport Commission meeting on March 6, staff presented drafts of the updated policies for review and feedback. The changes to the leasing and development policy include "improved processes and procedures for the city of Livermore to review and approve any proposed development projects at the airport," according to the agenda report.

The hangar waitlist policy has also been updated to reflect current industry practices.

Staff described the previous development policy as a very brief and unapproved document that did not include sufficient information or a well-defined process to allow proper review and approval of proposed development at the airport.

Officials worked with the Aviation Management Consulting Group (AMCG) to update and enhance the process.

Last July, the city of Livermore adopted a resolution to suspend the airport's pre-existing development policy while airport staff worked to create a new one. The initial resolution shelved all development proposals for the airport until Dec. 31, 2022.

At its March 13 regular meeting, the council adopted a new resolution to extend the suspension of airport development until a new comprehensive development policy is adopted by the City Council, which is expected to take place in May.

Drafts of the proposed development policy and hangar waitlist policy are available on the city's website for the public to review. Airport staff is accepting public comment on the policies through May 3.

According to the draft development document, five key objectives were identified by the city in 2010 as priorities to achieve the goal of ensuring that "airport property is leased and developed in a high-quality manner consistent with sound fiscal management and best practices while ensuring the provision of essential infrastructure, improvements and amenities."

The pre-established goals will serve as the criteria for evaluating proposals for airport leasing and development as part of the updated policy.

The objectives include establishing sustainable development practices to conserve natural resources and features to minimize adverse impacts on the environment, maintaining and enhancing a compatible relationship between the airport and the broader community as well as encouraging innovation and improvements consistent with the Airport Master Plan and other standards.

The last two objectives focus on establishing high-quality standards for architectural and landscape design and construction along with preserving property values, enhancing investments and ensuring that the airport is as self-sustaining as possible in alignment with the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Sponsor Assurances.

As for the hangar waitlist policy, airport staff contracted with Aeroplex Group Partners to review the existing guidelines and provide recommendations for improvement.

Officials said that previously the waitlist policy used a point-based system to rank potential tenants on the list. Points were determined at the discretion of the airport manager; however, tenants were not happy with the process as they felt it did not recognize the chronological order of tenant applications to be added to the list.

The procedure described in the updated policy establishes three waiting lists -- one for T-hangars and one each for small and large box hangars. The lists will be derived from the applications submitted to the airport office. Those who provide a completed application form and required deposit will be listed by date in chronological order with the earlier dates at the top of the lists.

In addition to input from the Airport Commission and the public, the Dublin and Pleasanton Liaison Committees also have an opportunity to weigh in and provide feedback on the proposed policies. The final versions of both documents are set to return to the Airport Commission on May 8. After that, the development policy only will be presented to the Livermore City Council for adoption on May 22.