Troutdale Airport (KTTD) needs updated flight plan: Editorial Agenda 2014

As the Port of Portland tries to navigate its future, few of its holdings offer as many potential routes as the Troutdale Airport. The facility has seen its importance as a transportation venue erode as the number of recreational pilots has declined and Hillsboro Airport, in the heart of the Silicon Forest, has emerged as the region's top choice for private corporate travel. At the same time, the property the airport occupies grows in value as the inventory of industrial land in the metro area shrinks.

An advisory committee is nine months into a two-year process of updating the airport's master plan to determine in what role, or roles, it can best serve the community. The committee and the Port have an opportunity to transform an underutilized property into an economic asset.
 

If the Port ultimately decides on a new course for Troutdale Airport, it won't be the first time owners of the property have changed its mission. The first known flights on the parcel near the Columbia River took place in the early 1920s on a private air strip that was part of a ranch. The Port bought the property in 1942, and it served as an emergency landing field and was used for minor military training activities during World War II. For a while, the facility was used as a backup to Portland International Airport for commercial flights.

More recently, Troutdale has served as a base for U.S. Forest Service fire-fighting flights and a home for recreational and business aircraft. It also hosts flight-training and helicopter operations. The task force will have to determine whether any of those activities are sufficient to sustain the airport, which has operated at a loss for years, and, if not, what other options exist.

This much is clear. The airport sits on 278 acres nestled between the Columbia River and Interstate 84 in a part of the metro area that has been eclipsed economically by Portland and the thriving Washington County employment corridor. The airport facilities are in good condition overall, said project manager Steve Schreiber, who is overseeing the master plan update. And, for the most part, the surrounding community embraces the airport, which is well-situated in an industrial area near an interstate, Schreiber said.

Significant research remains to be done before the advisory committee determines its options, much less narrows them down. But the committee should prioritize choices that would, at worst, break even financially and either directly or indirectly create jobs. Industrial land is too scarce and the need for economic opportunity too dire to let this opportunity pass without strongly considering uses in addition to aviation.

The more successful Hillsboro Airport provides an example of a mixed-use operation. A small retail center and a hotel are on Port-owned property near the airport, complementing corporate aviation operations.

Lacking Hillsboro's corporate clientele, the Troutdale Airport probably needs a different mix. The location already is industrial in character. The nearby Troutdale-Reynolds Industrial Park, purchased from Reynolds Aluminum in 2007 and anchored by a FedEx Ground distribution hub, is one of the biggest recent successes for both the Port and the Troutdale area. The Port also owns the Gresham Vista Business Park on land it purchased from LSI Corp. in 2011. The two industrial parks have a combined 23 available lots and 558 acres, though the Port is in active negotiations involving tenants for two of the lots.

The Port is well-positioned to be a catalyst for economic growth in eastern Multnomah County. Finding a way to maximize the value of Troutdale Airport is an important part of that process.

 --The Oregonian editorial board

- Source:   http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion