Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

March 28, 2024

Consultant: Keep Brainard Airport open, but close runway

HBJ Photo | Skyler Frazer Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel H. O'Keefe (left), BFJ Planning Principal-in-Charge Frank Fish (middle), and BFJ Planning Associate Principal Thomas Madden (right) speak to the state Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee in March 2024.
By Skyler Frazer

Brainard Airport should close a runway to make space for industrial and retail space, but remain mostly open, according to a study from a New York consulting firm tasked with finding the best use for the 200-acre property in Hartford.

Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel H. O'Keefe and representatives from consulting firm BFJ Planning visited the state’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee to discuss the results of a $1.5 million study exploring the future of Brainard Airport, which currently operates at a deficit of about $400,000 annually.

BFJ Planning Associate Principal Thomas Madden said the firm recommended closing a specific runway on the property for redevelopment, but mostly keeping the airport open as the “most prudent and sustainable investment.”

State and city officials have been discussing what the best use for the 200-acre property is. The state commissioned a study last year to narrow down options.

The group’s recommended plan, “scenario 2,” is a mix of ideas: close Runway 11-29 at the airport and redevelop that space, about 18 acres of land, for industrial uses. Two 100,000-square-foot single-story industrial buildings would be built on the property and about 20,000 square feet of retail space. Existing airport operations would continue, and limited aviation-related development like a runway extension could still be possible.

“To bring in some additional money for CAA (Connecticut Airport Authority) on the site itself in order to make up for the $400,000 that they are missing because of the funding side of everything, we looked at bringing in a mixed-warehouse which had light manufacturing space with offices, as well as a 20,000 square feet retail building along Brainard Road,” Madden said during his presentation Wednesday.

The plan, which would cost about $7.4 million according to the financial analysis in BFJ Planning’s study, has the best return on investment compared to the other choices because it doesn’t involve closing the airport – a process that requires federal approval and can take years.

The other scenarios the group considered were:

Scenario 1: The airport would remain fully open with limited new aviation-related development, including a new air traffic control tower, runway extension, new hangars and 94,000 square feet of space for aviation facilities.

Senario 3: The airport would be completely closed and about 2.6 million square feet will be turned into industrial space, 140,000 square feet turned into office space and 100,000 square feet of retail space. According to the financial analysis in BFJ Planning’s report, this scenario would cost about $70.8 million.

Scenario 4: The airport would be completely closed to make way for a mixed-use development on the property that would include more than 2,700 rental units, 262,000 square feet of industrial space, 100 square feet of retail space and 255,000 square feet of recreational facilities. The plan would also call for new public facilities like a school, community center and library, which aren’t included in the projected costs of $868.1 million.

The plans that call for the full closure of the airport aren’t financially feasible, the consultant said. Also, closing the airport could take up to 10 years, delaying any plans for industrial or mixed-use development.

“What we're trying to do is get an improved airport and more income from those closed 17 acres. So it's sort of a nuance, but that is our recommendation because to go for either of the others … The cost of it is so great that it doesn't it did not make sense to us in the final analysis, particularly the residential and mixed use alternative,” said Frank Fish, principal-in-charge of BFJ Planning.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF