Wasilla adopts airport plan that charts a path to a 6,000-foot runway

The Wasilla City Council adopted a 20-year master plan for the city's airport Monday, setting a course to lengthen its runway from about 3,700 feet toward 6,000. No one testified at the public hearing, and no council member objected.

The plan guides Wasilla Municipal Airport through 2045. Its centerpiece is the runway, which the plan would extend first to 5,100 feet. Alaska News has previously reported the plan's estimated cost at about $279 million over 20 years.

Adopting the plan doesn't change lease rates, and it commits no current or future council to spending, a city official told the council in September. Each project would come back for its own funding decision.

But the plan matters for federal money. The Federal Aviation Administration won't fund a project that isn't on the airport layout plan included in the master plan, Mark Swenson of HDL Engineering Consultants, which wrote the plan, told the council in September. Council Member Tim Johnson said then that the document will go to the FAA as an addendum to required grant applications.

The city lists the runway extension, Taxiway Kilo, aircraft aprons, aviation lease lots, land acquisition, airport access and perimeter fencing as near-term improvements for 2025 to 2030. Projects, schedules and funding may change, the city's airport page says.

Work toward a longer runway has started. The FAA has confirmed the 5,100-foot extension is eligible for its Airport Improvement Program, and environmental review has begun, according to August minutes of the city's Airport Advisory Commission. A city official told commissioners that $3 million secured by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is designated for the runway expansion. The commission backed buying at least 11 parcels for it.

The minutes also list a winter safety concern: turboprops may leave Wasilla heavier than they arrived, loaded with cargo and local shopping.

The plan recommends raising airport lease rates that have stood at 6 cents a square foot for decades. A specific rate proposal will come to the council separately.

Neighbors raised concerns about noise, light and jet fumes during public meetings on the plan between 2022 and 2025, and the runway extension could reach nearby homeowners' land.

On Monday, the only discussion before the vote was praise. Council Member Stu Graham, who pulled the plan from introduction in September saying he didn't see enough of the process behind it, called it a long, detailed effort involving many agencies, companies and private interests, and said it met FAA standards.

After the vote, Johnson said the plan gives Wasilla a chance to expand economically, citing conversations with people at companies he works with. "There was even some interest from even very large airplanes operating out of a 5,100-foot runway to support bigger events," he said.

Council Member Ian Crafton praised the staff who worked on the plan and asked that the council get more regular updates from public meetings, since not everyone can attend.

In closing comments, Mayor Glenda Ledford thanked U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan "for the president coming to the Valley and especially to Wasilla." President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Wasilla on Tuesday. Ledford also credited Sullivan with money for the airport.

The Airport Advisory Commission is scheduled to get updates on the master plan and the 5,100-foot runway extension Thursday.