General Aviation Airport Master Plans

The City of San Diego owns and operates two general aviation airports—Montgomery–Gibbs Executive and Brown Field. C&S prepared simultaneous master plans, establishing a long-term vision and roadmap for the facilities. A 2015 internal audit identified deficiencies in operations, public transparency, maintenance and other areas, many of which arose from a lack of adequate planning. City airport division leadership changes combined with users’ and tenants’ fears of change challenged a desire to position both airports for long-term success. The FAA restricted AIP grants to maintenance projects only until new master plans were completed. C&S structured the schedule to complete both master plans simultaneously in 18 months. We assigned a document leader to each master plan and organized resources to meet an aggressive schedule.

C&S also conducted a waste audit for both airports and developed tailored recycling, reuse, and waste reduction plans that align with FAA guidance. City staff were committed to transparency and C&S helped organize five advisory committee and three public meetings for each study to maximize community input. Feedback was sought through multiple channels and meeting formats were structured for informative dialogue. All project working documents, meeting summaries, and other materials were quickly published on www.sdairportplans.com. C&S helped the City stay on track through the process, gain the confidence of initially skeptical advisory committee members, and process important issues in an environment of transparency. In addition, the team helped refine the roles of each airport within the City’s system and broader aviation network.