A new land lease is being negotiated to ensure a privately owned hangar remains at Sarnia's Chris Hadfield Airport for the next 20 years.
City staff were cleared to work out a long term agreement with Sarnia Aircraft Service Inc. on Monday.
Director of Economic Development Kelly Provost said any agreement would still come back to council for approval.
"If we are agreeable and both parties can come to agreement on the terms of a lease, then we would bring that back in open session for council to execute that," said Provost.
The long term lease is the first to even be entertained since Air Canada permanently grounded flights to Sarnia in 2020.
Mayor Mike Bradley said 20 years provides stability and ensures the applicant's investment is protected, which is a statement that Provost backed up.
"Most of the requests that we receive are a minimum of 20 years and, as the city solicitor indicated, that is with the intent that they can get the return on their investment over an extended period of time because these are privately owned hangars," Provost replied.
City/County Councillor Brian White welcomed the recommendation, saying "it seems completely logical."
"Going back to the airport master plan, there were no other identified uses for this particular part of the airport. What we've been doing is stalling investment in our community, so... if they're willing to pay us for the ground, build a hangar or in this case purchase a hangar from somebody else that has an existing lease and wants to renew that lease... that's just revenue for us," White said.
City/County Councillor Bill Dennis didn't agree and voted against it.
"I strongly believe a 20 year lease is far, far, too long," Dennis said. "A 20 year lease binds the next five councils and denies any future flexibility [and] should some key criteria change, the city would be unable to adapt to any changes in the market, new needs, or unexpected circumstances."
City Councillor George Vandenberg also opposed the idea.
In June, council approved establishing a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC) to help move Chris Hadfield Airport forward.
It was the first major step since agreeing to invest in the airport earlier this year.
