Business plan update

A business plan update was developed by staff and presented to the Board of Supervisors at their December 4th, 2018 regularly scheduled meeting.

At the meeting, a presentation was given by Staff to the Board followed by approximately three hours of testimony from community members and airport users. A motion was presented and seconded by the Board to complete the following tasks. After discussion among the Board members, a vote was held and passed 3 to 2 in favor of the motion. The following 11 points summarize the motion.

1. Adopted a policy statement that the County will not apply for Airport Improvement Program grants for Reid-Hillview Airport and will make General Fund-funded improvements necessary to safely operate Reid-Hillview;
2. Directed Administration or its designee to accept $1 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) entitlement funding related to the airfield repaving project at the San Maritn Airport to help pay down the outstanding General Fund load;
3. Apply for property release at Reid-Hillview Airport from the FAA consistent with the Business Plan Update;
4. Invite the City of San Jose to engage in a joint planning process within the next two years related to use of the Reid-Hillview and Eastridge areas, including possible alternative uses after 2031;
5. Develop a plan, including a transparent community engagement process that includes, but is not limited to, engaging the City of San Jose to consolidate the County's aviation uses at San Martin Airport based on the HLUET Option 3 identified in staff's presentation;
6. Develop a plan to implement improvements necessary to ensure adequate traffic flow and safety on East San Martin Avenue, Highway 101, and adjacent roadways;
7. Establish a Capital Plan to implement improvements at the San Martin Airport, including both General Fund-funded and FAA-funded improvements;
8. Report to the Board with a recommended plan to analyze and address any concerns regarding airborne lead and associated concerns;
9. Engage San Jose State University related to negotiations for possible accommodation at the San Martin Airport
10. Engage Office of Emergency Services partners relating to consideration of safety provision should a change of use occur at RHV;
11. Engage the aviation community in determining the feasibility of allowing only non-lead aviation fuel at RHV and E16.

Use the links below for the staff report and information about the Board meeting.

• Staff report
• Business Plan Update
• Agenda Item with a link to attachments - or - Agenda packet - Business plan starts on page 356 
• Video of proceedings

Supporting documents

• Meeting schedule and supporting documents used for the creation of the Business Plan.

In the news

• Bolen: Fed Funds Protecting Airports from Local Limits / The Cost of Doing Nothing - AINOnline (Apr. 1, 2019)
• Opinion: Reid-Hillview Airport is a strategic county asset - SJMN (Dec. 26, 2018)
• Santa Clara County - Board Takes Action on Potential Reid-Hillview Airport Closure - SV@home (Dec. 18, 2018)
• California Considers Closing GA Airport in San Jose - AINOnline (Dec. 18, 2018)
• County votes to expand airport - Gilroy Dispatch (Dec. 13, 2018)
• The long campaign to close San Jose's second airport may finally have succeeded - Silicon Valley Business Journal (Dec. 5, 2018)
• Reid-Hillview Airport To Receive No More Federal Grant Funds - Patch (Dec. 5, 2018)
• Air safety is at risk if county closes airports, Letters to the Editor - SJMN (Dec. 4, 2018)
• Reid-Hillview Airport's days may be numbered after supervisors' action - SJMN (Dec. 4, 2018)
• Future of Reid-Hillview Airport in the balance - SJMN (Dec. 4, 2018)
• Reid-Hillview Airport meeting becomes flashpoint for broader housing woes - SJMN (Mar. 2, 2018)​​​