An aerial view showing the Carson City Airport on the north end of the city and Lake Tahoe in the background.
A restaurant at the Carson City Airport is a possibility as the Airport Authority solicits bids for a lease of 2.48 acres along College Parkway, southwest of the main parking lot.
“The bid posting is for a fixed base operator (FBO) providing services to the flying public. The notice specifies hangar construction and aircraft storage, as well as other uses proposed by the bidder that the authority deems reasonable, compatible and permitted under Carson City Municipal Code Title 19,” said Corey Jenkins, airport manager. “This project is independent of other developments on the field, though we may receive bids for additional hangars. Per the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), 71 percent of U.S. airports have waitlists and Carson City is no exception.
“This initiative aims to address that demand. Additionally, we hope to receive bids that include a restaurant, a service permitted under Title 19 if there are no objections from the FAA, enhancing amenities for pilots and Carson City residents.”
Presented with a comparison to Taildragger Cafe — a popular restaurant at the Minden-Tahoe Airport — Jenkins said, “If something like that is proposed, we won’t know about it until we open the bids at the Carson City Airport Authority board meeting on April 16.”
That meeting is 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the community center, 851 E. William St.
“The land was posted for bids following inquiries from multiple parties interested in leasing land for hangar development. Due to access limitations, it can only accommodate small aircraft, which may influence bidder interest. We look forward to reviewing the proposals,” Jenkins said.
According to a legal notice, the airport will take sealed bids until 5 p.m. April 10. The lease would have to be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Information is online: flycarsoncity.com/resolution-and-notice-to-bid.
“Lease term to be 50 years, with an automatic CPI adjustment every 2 years,” according to the notice. “Minimum rental rate shall be $0.64 per square foot per year, i.e. an amount per year calculated as $0.64 times the area leased in square feet.
“Lease includes aircraft access to taxiway at no additional cost. Tenant is responsible for paving or other connector to the taxiway access and such included internal taxi-lanes as necessary for tenant’s building/hangar construction.”
Asked if the lease would complement plans for the east side of the airport, Jenkins stressed that’s a separate project.
“The Carson City Airport Authority has approved the through-the-fence (TTF) permit for the development you are describing, but it has many contingencies, including no objections from the FAA,” Jenkins said. “The project is under FAA review now. They did not give us a timeline, but hopefully, it will not be too long.”
Unlike fixed base operators, TTF arrangements provide private operators adjacent to the airport access to the taxiway and runway system.
In October, representatives from Carson Tahoe Executive LLC told the Appeal they’re developing a TTF hangar association east of the airport. They hoped to break ground within a year and a half depending on regulatory approvals. The project, they said, would include 30 hangars as well as offices.