NEWS FILE PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT More land will be made available at the entrance of the Medicine hat Regional Airport this spring while the city's land department is also planned to complete long-promised landscaping overhaul along Viscount Ave, which leads to the facility from Highway No. 3.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
New parcels, a new logo and a new landscaped entrance are coming to an airport near you this spring.
New “airside” and “groundside” land will be on the market at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport next month, with work on more publicly accessible commercial land near a revamped entrance due this summer.
A plan approved by city council late last month approved the schedule and pricing strategy package put together by city hall’s land department. It is the latest in an ongoing effort to boost private sector development investment and business activity, and the next phase is geared toward improving the profile of the city to travellers entering the city.
“There will be significant landscaping, because it’s not just an entrance from Highway 3, but also to those who fly into the community,” said Jane Zwicker, the marketing officer with the land and economic development office. “It sets the stage, and really sends a message that it’s important. It’s a nice addition to the development.”
Highway travellers on nearby Highway 3 should be able to see an avenue of low trees with parallel pathways leading to the main terminal building. So too will passengers arriving by plane and moving on to the city or region.
On Dec. 16, council accepted the plan, which has been discussed for several years at committee level. A new logo – a stylized version of the airport code “YXH” – will be employed and new commercial land is opening up for general highway commercial businesses the department hopes will complement the airport or cater to travellers.
Since 2014, the facility has seen its terminal, runway, apron and parking upgraded or renovated.
The ongoing work, known as North Node Phase 1, opened up one 2.74-acre lot land, accessible on Les Little Way, and south of the existing hangar that has an asking price of $1.05 million.
With runway access are another 7.5 acres that are being offered for lease between about $17,000 to $20,000 per acre per year. That could be sold in variety of packages, but the hope is to attract a substantial air carrier with room for major facilities. A nearby lot is currently being leased to a flight school, but could be marketed similarly to one that expires in three years.
A second phase of commercial land that is accessible to the public could be on the market this summer, following clearing of two lots on either side of Viscount Avenue south of Gershaw Drive.
Substantial land to the north of the terminal on Halifax Way is also available for redevelopment, but still features large foundations from hangers that were torn down in the 1990s.
